


Who's That Guy?

by callmeonetrack



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003), Grease 2 (1982)
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-28
Updated: 2011-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-28 07:36:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/305427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmeonetrack/pseuds/callmeonetrack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kara Thrace just wants a coo-oo-oo-ool rider. But she gets much more than she bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who's That Guy?

**Author's Note:**

> Beta thanks to Indigo419!

It was an unspoken rule at Rydell High that the leader of the T-Birds and the leader of the Pink Ladies just kinda  _went together_. Like, like….well, heck, their names were signed, okay? In the friggin’ yearbook, to be remembered forever.

It was a tradition, and this year’s head of the T-Birds, Samuel T. Anders, certainly had no intention of messing with tradition. After all, he was a senior now. This was his year to rule the school. It was gonna be totally bitchin’.

There was only one little problem.

Kara Thrace, the head of the Pink Ladies, had inexplicably dumped him at the beginning of the summer.

They’d dated on and off—though mostly on—since sophomore year, but then she’d started breaking dates with him, or just not showing up at all. When he’d finally cornered her one Saturday night at the Burger Joint, she’d given him some lip about them wanting different things out of life and him not giving her what she needed. Which was ridiculous. Hey, Sam Anders may have been a T-bird, but he was a friggin’ gentleman. He made sure any girl he got with, was, you know, taken care of. Hell, he’d been seeing Sonja for the past couple months now and she sure hadn’t been complaining.

But that was just a diversion. Sonja was sweet and all, and damn she looked great in that tight red dress she had, but Sam knew what he really wanted. He closed his eyes, bringing up the familiar picture: blond ponytail, greenish-golden eyes, and those lips. God, he missed those lips.

Luckily, Sam Anders could be a very patient guy.

He strutted up the front steps of Rydell now, his boys at his back, ready for the new school year. Time to show little Miss Independent exactly what she’d been missing. Oh yeah, he’d get her back. No question. Kara would be his again. That’s just the way it should be. T-birds and Pinks? They went together. That was the rule.

What Sam wasn’t counting on?

Kara Thrace never met a rule she didn’t want to break.

***

Another Saturday night, another ten frames at the Bowl-a-rama.

In the first lane, Sam threw a perfect strike, his fifth in a row, and with one notable exception, the assorted T-birds and Pink Ladies gathered around cheered his victory obligingly.

Kara Thrace just popped her gum. Every Friday night since sophomore year the T-Birds and the Pinks had been coming to this crappy old alley with its smells of fried food and antiseptic spray. After they got sick of watching Sammy bowl a perfect game, they’d head over to the Burger Joint and stuff themselves on fries and shakes. If someone had asked her, she could rattle off every one of their orders right down to Karl Agathon’s winking insistence that they hold the onions on his.

It was tradition.

Kara sighed, leg jiggling as she crushed her cigarette out in the ashtray. She was trying to quit the damn things but she’d smoked half a pack already. She watched as Sonja sidled up to Sam to give him a victory kiss. Just like she had the last four times. Hot Dog hooted and Kara practically mouthed the words along with him as he made the same crude joke about laying pins he’d made every frame. Kat punched him in the shoulder, then Galen high-fived him and pretended like he wasn’t starting at Sharon (whom he’d dated last year) and Karl, who were practically rounding second base right there on the Bowl-a-rama benches.

God, didn’t it ever get old for them? She looked around at her friends’ laughing, smiling faces and realized that no, it didn’t. The problem wasn’t them. It was her.

Kara couldn’t take it, she stood and pulled on her jacket. Time to blow this pop stand.

“You leaving already, K?” her best friend Sharon Valerii piped up, actually tearing herself away from Karl’s lips for once. If she didn’t love the girl so much, she’d find them seriously sickening.

She opened her mouth, brain already churning to come up with some excuse, but a hand grabbed her wrist.

“Hey, where you going?”

Kara set her jaw, swallowing her irritation, and jerked her arm free. “I’m outta here.”

“But I’m about to bowl a perfect game here.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Sam.” She nodded to Sonja and smirked. “Looks like your cheering section’s already full anyway.”

He dropped his arm from around the tall blonde’s waist, and stepped closer to Kara. “Yeah, but you know I’d make room for you in a second, babe.” He grinned at her, raising his hands to her hips and gripping her. “Forget bowling.You were the best score I ever had.”

She tried not to roll her eyes, but couldn’t help but notice the way Sonja’s pretty face fell. Sam could be such an idiot sometimes. She knocked his hands away and stepped back, hissing, “Yeah, well I’m no one’s trophy, Sammy.”

His face darkened, brow creasing in confusion as Hot Dog called out, “Oh, she’s Miss Independent now!”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Patience exhausted, Kara jutted out her chin, hands fisted on her hips. “I’m independent. I can be with whoever I want, when I want.” Her temper revved, aggression combining with the perpetual restlessness in her gut. “Hell, I could kiss the next guy who walks through that door.”

As if on cue, a bell tinkled at the Bowl-a-rama’s entrance. All eyes swiveled to the heavy glass doors. A teenaged boy was stepping through, and Kara barely had time to register a pair of bright blue eyes and a dorky sweater vest before she started moving. Adrenaline pumped through her making her heart pound faster and Kara could feel their eyes on her back. She crossed the short distance in a few quick steps, and stopped right in front of the stranger, one hand reaching out to hook around the back of his neck. They were nearly the same height, and as she leaned in, she caught a quick glimpse of shock, his eyebrows raising.

Kara ignored it and covered his mouth with her own, kissing the hell out of a total stranger.

***

Lee Adama had been to six secondary schools in four years, both here in the States and back home in England. But he’d never gotten a welcome like this before.

There was a hot blonde (at least that was his split-second assessment in the moment before she swooped in on him) in a leather jacket pressed against him, her lips mashed to his.

Lee’s overactive brain was nearly totally blank for once.

All he knew—the one sole rational thought he had left—was:  _She tastes amazing._

He was only frozen for an instant, then instinct kicked in and his hands raised automatically, fluttering in the air for a second before alighting on her hips. Lee’s fingers flexed at the feel of yielding curves, butter-soft leather and rough denim, and his mouth opened automatically. For just a split second, he felt the brush of her tongue, wet and warm against his lip, but when his hands clenched on her hips to try to pull her closer, the mystery temptress broke away. He got the merest glimpse of her face, full lips smirking, eyebrows raised over wide eyes, before she whirled around, giving him her back.

The girl stretched her arms out and bowed to a small crowd of teenagers in the nearest lane, and over her shoulder he could see a bunch of guys with greasy hair and leather jackets, and some girls with tight clothes and lots of makeup. They mostly seemed pretty entertained by the little display that had just taken place, save for one tall, dark-haired guy. The leader of the pack, clearly, who was scowling at them.

Without a word, the blonde turned suddenly, and didn’t even spare him a single glance as she brushed by, heading straight out the doors. Lee’s lips parted wanting to call after her, to at least demand her name or something, but she was already gone. Clearly, he’d been the butt of some joke no one would be bothering to explain to him.

The rest of her group followed, the tall and angry stranger knocking his shoulder purposely on the way past, and Lee winced. He shook his head. One week in the States and already he was making all the wrong moves. Rubbing his arm, he walked over to the counter where a girl in pigtails wearing one of those pink satin jackets lingered, her arms so full of rental shoes he could barely see the top of her head above the pile.

“Need a hand?” He asked, just as the girl stumbled, shoes tumbling to the floor all around them.

Lee ducked down and started gathering them as the girl did the same, heaving a heavy sigh. She didn’t even look old enough to be a first-year...or freshman, as they called it, Lee reminded himself. “Life stinks,” she grumbled.

“I’m sorry?”

She gestured to the door, the sleeve of her jacket too long for her and flapping past the tips of her fingers. “They always leave me behind. Think they’re so cool because they’ve got wheels.” Her brown eyes flashed and she sighed again, her straight brunette bangs fluttering where they hung over her eyes.

“Ah. I’m Lee. Lee Adama,” he said, holding out a hand for her to shake. She looked at his hand, then her eyes skipped up to his face, surprised. But she put her hand in his. “The name’s Cally. Well, my step-sister Sonja calls me by my whole name, Callandra Henderson, especially when she’s yelling at me to quit tagging along with the Pinks, and Hot Dog calls me Squirt,” she grimaced. “But I prefer Cally. Got it?”

He bit back an amused grin, not wanting the girl to think he was making fun of her. Lee nodded solemnly, “Cally. Got it.”

She reminded him of Zak. Lee felt a wave of homesickness sweep him, wishing he was back in London. He’d never been really close with his Aunt Ellen, who taught music appreciation at Rydell, and his Uncle Saul, but, well, things hadn’t been going so well at home. Unfortunately, things seemed to be going even worse here.

They rose and piled the shoes on the counter. “But, what was that you said before... about...the Pinks?”

“The Pink Ladies.” She pivoted to show him the name emblazoned on the back of her oversized jacket. “I’m their mascot. It ain't the coolest job, but it's a start.”

“Yeah? And what’s that?” He pointed to the cursive “Kara” stitched on the front of her jacket. “Another nickname?”

“Nah,” she said, grabbing a skateboard off a nearby bench and heading for the exit. Lee followed. “Kara’s the head of the Pinks. She gave it to me, ‘cause she don’t wear it no more, since she got that leather jacket.”

Lee raised an eyebrow. So she must’ve been the one who’d kissed him. He wanted to stop Cally, tell her to slow down and tell him all about this Kara girl. But the teenager was still talking. “She and my sister and Sharon, they pretty much rule the school. Well, except for the T-birds.”

“T-birds?”

“Yup,” they stepped into the parking lot. The greasers were climbing on to motorcycles, Pink Ladies on the backs. But the hot blonde—Kara—she was nowhere to be found. “Look,” Cally said, catching his attention once more as the bikes roared by them one by one. “At Rydell, you gotta be a biker or a biker's old lady. Without a cycle, forget it. You ain’t no one.” Her face scrunched up with frustration, rather adorably. “Pisses me off.”

Lee considered her advice, his brain already calculating. If he needed a cycle to get Kara’s attention... He sighed. Without a job, he had no hope of affording one. “Guess we’re in the same boat.”

“Yeah. But someday, when I’m a senior, I’ll be head of The Pink Ladies. They’ll be the best.”

Lee smiled at the girl. He liked her determination, she was scrappy this one. It didn’t hurt that she was the first person to actually give him more than the time of day all week.

“It's late. I'd better walk you home.”

Cally eyed him scornfully, dropping her skateboard to the ground and stepping on. “I don't need a babysitter, OK?”

Oops, he’d put his foot in it already. Lee wiped the smile from his face and fixed earnest blue eyes on her, holding out his arm solicitously. “Well, why not think of it as a date,  _OK_?”

She grinned and hooked her arm through his. “Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?”

They started off, Lee walking and Cally rolling and chattering away like a small magpie all the while. But he could only concentrate on one thing.

“So, tell me more about these Pink Ladies.”

****

Lee fiddled with the latch on his locker Wednesday morning, trying not to be completely obvious about where his attention really was focused. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her coming, surrounded by her pack of girlfriends, loud laughter heralding her approach. He turned his head slightly to further appreciate the way her hips swayed as she strutted his way. Lee couldn’t have teared his gaze away if a herd of wild buffalo suddenly stampeded down the hall.

Kara Thrace. He’d pretty much thought of nothing else since Friday night.

_When she’d kissed him._

Lee had gotten an earful from Cally on their walk home about the girl. It turned out she was practically a legend at Rydell. If there was a prank that happened at the high school, Kara Thrace was behind it. Rumor had it she held the school record for most days in detention.

The bell rang signaling morning classes and he turned slightly to watch her as she passed by, stopping at her own locker just down the hall. Kara jerked her locker open and pulled out a pencil skirt, stepping into it, and yanking it up past the pedal pushers she wore, in accordance with the dress code. Lee grinned.

Quite the rebel this girl.

She banged her locker shut, and turned, eyes widening slightly as she caught Lee staring, and she winked as she darted past him. Kara was also, he knew thanks to Cally’s glowing report, the star of the school’s track team. Which was fitting, since it seemed like all she’d been doing all week was running away from him.

He stepped forward, lips parting to call after her, when someone stepped in front of him, a beefy hand pushing him back against the locker.

“You going somewhere?”

Lee looked up into the frowning faces of four angry T-birds. The pushy one—Galen Tyrol, he knew from the roll call in biology—stepped back as Sam Anders tapped him on the arm and moved forward, into Lee’s personal space. So this was the delightful head of the T-birds. Kara’s ex. Lee squared his shoulders and stood a little straighter.

“Just to class. We’ll be late.”

He stepped forward to try and slip past them. Lee was no coward and he knew how to fight if he had to, but the hallways were deserted now, and he didn’t like his odds at four-to-one.

Tyrol’s hand shot out and pushed him back again, and the tall lanky one with the long name—Karl Agathon—took a step closer and crossed his arms.

“Cool your jets, English,” Sam sneered. “We need to have a little talk.”

Lee said nothing, just waited for Anders to say his peice.

“See, this locker here, that you seem to think belongs to you?” he reached an arm out, palm smacking the metal next to Lee’s ear with a ring. Sam leaned in so close Lee could smell the guy’s toothpaste. “This here is T-Bird property.”

“Yeah! Thought you were supposed to be smart or something! Can’t you read, Einstein?” the skinny little one with the acne scars piped up. Lee remembered his name was something like Costanza or Constanza, but they all called him Hot Dog. The kid pointed to some crude scratches in the metal door. “That spells T-birds. Which spells us!”

Lee squinted at the marks. Technically, they spelled “T-brids.” He was tempted, but thought it best not to point out the error at this moment.

Sam leaned back a bit, flashed a big insincere smile at him. “That’s right. So look, buddy—”

“Lee.”

Sam frowned. “Huh?”

“My name,” he didn’t move, but he raised his chin. “It’s Lee, not English, not Einstein, not buddy. Lee Adama.”

The T-bird gave him an assessing look, his head tilting. “Well,  _Lee Adama_ , like I said, seeing how it’s your first week here and all, I’m feeling kinda...” he waved a hand, “magnaminous.” Lee bit his tongue. “So I’m gonna break it down for you.”

He leaned in close again, and the other T-birds closed ranks, surrounding Lee in a claustrophic circle. His gut clenched and he tensed, fists balling at his sides for a second before he forced himself to relax. It wouldn’t help matters to lose his temper.

“These lockers are T-bird property. No one touches these lockers, see? Because no one touches  _our property_.” He raised an eyebrow and the heated words made it clear that Rydell’s lockers weren’t the only thing Sam Anders thought he owned. “You dig?”

Lee took a deep breath, telling himself it would probably be a very bad idea to haul off and slug the guy.

Even though he really, really wanted to.

“I think I understand.”

Sam leaned back, all smiles again, and his gang of thugs followed suit. “Good. I’m glad we cleared that up, English.” He winked. “Wouldn’t want that preppy mug of yours to get  _bloody_.”

His buddies all broke up laughing at the frankly horrid attempt at mimicking a British accent. Then he snapped his fingers, and as a group, the T-birds pivoted and started swaggering down the hall. Lee stood in place for a moment, just watching them, even as his brain started churning again.

No way was a lame threat from that bunch of grease monkeys and their overinflated egos going to stop him from getting to know Kara. There was something about that girl. He’d felt it from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Well... _lips_  on her, anyway.

They’d had a connection, a chemistry that was unmistakable. Lee had never been the type to believe in destiny, or even that some higher power was up there, orchestrating things, moving all the pieces. But something, some small still voice deep inside, was insisting that  _this girl_ , this girl was special. Like maybe he’d been meant to come here and walk into that bowling alley at just the moment that he had.

And T-birds or not, he had to know if she felt it too.

****

Oddly enough, his chance came two days later at the school talent show auditions, of all places. His Aunt Ellen had asked him at dinner the night before (amid some rather awkward and uncomfortable observations about his “long fingers”) if he would accompany the tryouts. Lee had taken piano lessons for years at his mother’s insistence, so the pop songs were easy enough to learn quickly.

Which left plenty of attention to focus on Kara.

He’d been surprised to see her here. Singing and dancing didn’t exactly seem like it would be up the rough-and-tumble blonde’s alley, but her friend Sharon was awfully dedicated. In fact, she was something of a machine about it, drilling her friends on the music and barking out instructions for the props and costumes. The number was based on the seasons (each girl sang about a different one). Kara was playing winter, and if he’d understood the conversation correctly she would be dressing in some sort of Christmas tree-inspired outfit complete with blinking lights. Apparently, this girl was exceptionally loyal to her friends.

He studied her face now as she dutifully mouthed the words, though her eyes looked a million miles away. Lee watched and waited until finally she turned her head and their eyes met.

“Hello.”

“Hey.”

“We haven’t been introduced formally. I’m Lee—”

“Adama. Yeah I know,” she said and Lee felt a rush of pleasure. Maybe she remembered him from the bowling alley. “We got chemistry together.”

For one brief hopeful moment, he thought she  _was_  talking about the kiss. But then Lee flushed with embarrassment as he realized she meant the actual class. He played the next stanza of music before working up the nerve to try again.

“Are you free today after school?” He froze, surprised at himself for blurting it out like that. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sonja and Kat’s heads swivel to Kara, awaiting her response. He swallowed, lamenting that he hadn’t waited till they were without a captive audience.

Kara’s eyes slid over to her friends as well, then she smirked. “I’m free every day,” she retorted, eyes rolling slightly. “It’s in the Constitution.”

The girls giggled and Lee frowned. He could already tell this wouldn’t go the way he hoped. It figured. He’d never had the best timing.

For the rest of the number, Lee focused on the music, keeping silent until the audition was over and Kara came back to the piano to grab her books. He stood quickly.

“So, how about a hamburger later?”

Kara stopped and actually looked at him. Her eyes scrutinized his face then slid down and back up before she shrugged. “I’m busy.”

He swallowed hard at the obvious rejection, but wasn’t ready to give up. “Tomorrow?”

She was already turning. “Busy.”

Lee reached out and grabbed her arm. “Then what was that? In the bowling alley Friday?”

She flicked a cold glare down to where his fingers encircled her wrist. Lee slackened his grasp but didn’t let go. “You don’t just kiss a guy like that, then—”

Kara’s mouth tightened. “It was just a joke. Forget it.”

“It didn’t feel like a joke,” Lee muttered, as he let her hand go, and slumped back down on the piano bench. Embarrassed, he started to gather his sheet music, cursing internally at how he’d bunged this all up. Around them people were leaving the auditorium. Sharon called out from the exit doors.

“Kara, you coming?”

Lee didn’t dare lift his head, just kept shuffling the pages waiting for Kara to run off again.

“In a minute. I’ll catch up.”

The door closed behind Sharon with a bang and suddenly they were alone. He took a breath and looked up at her.

“Look, Adama, you don’t have to make a big deal about it, okay?” Her tone wavered between frustration and pity. “It didn’t mean nothing. I was just bored, you know? I mean you don’t know what it’s like around here. Every Saturday night we do the same damn things, eat the same damn food, have the same damn conversations!” She shook her head. “I just wanted a good way to shake things up, alright? Show Sammy that I ain’t his property.” Kara tilted her head, the strands of her long ponytail spilling over her shoulder, a small rueful smile curving her lips. “You just had some shitty timing, is all.”

Story of his life. The more she talked, the worse he felt. “So kissing me was just something to do.”

Kara sighed. “It’s nothing personal. You’re just...” she shrugged a shoulder... “not my type.”

“Because I don’t have a quart of motor oil in my hair?”

“Because you wear sweater vests and iron your jeans and you keep looking at me like you want to ask if you can carry my books.” She leveled an earnest glance at him. “Face it, Adama, you’re the boy next door.”

He stood up, shoving the sheet music into his bag in disgust. “Right. And you want a jerk.”

Kara raised an eyebrow and moved closer, rounding the piano and stepping almost on his feet. She was near enough that he could smell her perfume, or maybe her shampoo, citrus and spice, and underneath that the metallic tinge of...motor oil? He inhaled deep and held it. Her eyes were locked on his, and Lee was mesmerized by the vivid green and deep brown ringing her pupils. Kara licked her lips and his gaze skipped down to follow the sweep of her tongue against her perfectly shaped mouth. The mouth that had been kissing him last week. The mouth that he wanted to taste again. Lee was staring so hard, so lost in his own private melange of memory and fantasy, that he was almost surprised when those perfect lips parted and sound came out.

“You really wanna know? What I want in a guy?”

He swallowed and nodded, and she leaned closer still, a breath away, her knee brushing his.

“I want hell on wheels,” she purred in a throaty voice. But no sooner did the sibilance of the last syllable fade than her eyes popped wide open in and Kara started to cackle raucously, like she’d cracked herself up with how over-the-top her comment was. Lee’s breath rushed out in a heavy exhale, tension dissipating, and he shook his head, though he couldn’t help but smile a little. This girl was beyond insane.

She wavered for a moment, as she choked back laughter, the back of one hand to her lips, the other alighting for one brief second on his shoulder.

“Hell on wheels, huh? So what’s that supposed to mean? You only go for bikers?”

She sniffed and sighed, her amusement fading, and stepped back to the side of the piano to grab her books. “It means these high school guys? They’re all the same.” Kara said with a dismissive toss of her hand. “Always trying to tell you what to do. Start thinking that they own you or something.” She shook her head. “I’m so over that. I want a guy who’s...” Kara paused like she was searching for the right word, then she found it, her face lighting up as she practically drawled out the syllables, heavy with emphasis, “... _cool_.”

She winked. “And yeah, a cycle wouldn’t hurt.”

No one had ever, in his whole life, accused Lee Adama of being cool. In fact, Zak’s favorite nickname for him was “nerd.” He decided to focus on that last bit instead. “I’m starting to think you’re a little obsessed.”

“You ever ride one?” She asked, then grinned cheekily. “Bike, that is, not biker.”

Lee’s face heated and he shook his head.

“Ain’t nothing like it. The wind all around you, the rumble of the engine. God, it’s the best feeling in the world. Go fast enough and it’s like you’re flying.”

If Lee hadn’t already been convinced that he needed to get his hands on a motorcycle and fast, the look on Kara’s face in that moment would have sealed it. Her face was luminous...rapturous even.

He might’ve been content to stand there just watching her forever, but Kara suddenly looked at her watch and blinked. “Shit, I’m gonna be late for work.” She gathered up all her books and before Lee could even stand, she was moving towards the wings. “Later gator.”

He raised a hand but she was gone, already running out the door. Lee stared after her, his brain churning as he tried to figure out how he was going to afford a bike. He didn’t feel comfortable asking his aunt or uncle, even for a loan. What he needed was a job. Which probably wasn’t gonna be easy to find considering he knew next to no one in this town. Lee sighed and hefted his bag onto his shoulder. He was headed towards the doors when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey English. Wait up a sec!”

He tensed at the rough voice, knowing just who it had to be behind him. The auditorium was empty. If the T-birds jumped him now, he was in deep shit.

He was moving again, having decided to make a run for it, and even got a few steps out the door before a hand reached out and spun him around. It was the tall one, who hadn’t said anything, just glowered stony-faced in the hall earlier.Karl. He was the one who dated Kara’s friend Sharon.

“Hey, English, you deaf or something? I said hold up. I got something scholastic to discuss wit’ you.”

Lee was tempted to tell the thug that if he didn’t know his ABCs by know, then he probably couldn’t help him, but he reined the sarcasm in and just waited.

“You’re Mr. History, right? Ole’ Zarek said you got straight As when he introduced ya.”

Wary, Lee shrugged. It could be a trap. Some ploy to distract him while the others crept up and jumped him. He shifted, eyes sliding around to the dark corners of the auditorium.

“Well, I got this essay due on the fall of Rome,” Karl went on, voice dropping like he was confiding a secret. “Hell, I didn’t even know they was in trouble!”

Lee relaxed a little. Anyone that dumb couldn’t possibly be the point man for some kind of stealth attack. “So what are you driving at?”

“Papers for paper.”

He raised an eyebrow, wheels already turning. “Essays for cash?” This was it. This was how he would get the money for the cycle. Lee’s conscience pinged. It was cheating. If his uncle, or god forbid, his father ever found out... Still, it wasn’t as though  _he_  was copying someone else’s work. He’d just be helping someone out. And helping himself out in the process.

Because he needed that bike.

“You’ve got a deal.” He held his hand out to shake on it and grimaced when Karl spit in his own palm before slapping it to Lee’s.

“All right!” The tall galoot grinned at him, and thumped him on the back with his free hand, as if they were buddies, and Lee felt himself softening towards the guy. He was sort of like a dumb, overgrown puppy. “But hey, when we do the drop, not out here in the open like this, ‘kay?” Karl reached up and slid his sunglasses down, then popped the collar of his leather jacket. “I got a rep to protect.”

He sauntered off, and Lee headed for the parking lot and his uncle’s old station wagon. As he slid behind the wheel, he pictured Kara’s face when she’d been talking about that cool rider she wanted. The bike was just a matter of time now, but that first part....that might take some help.

He frowned, thinking for a moment, and then suddenly his frown turned into a smile.

Luckily, Lee Adama knew just where he could find a secret weapon.

****

Unfortunately, his secret weapon was looking at him like he had two heads.

“Let me see if I’m understanding this correctly,” Laura Roslin said, tossing her freshly dyed alarmingly auburn mane. “You think buying a motorcycle, which, may I point out, you have no idea how to ride, is gonna help you impress some chick?”

“I know it will!” Lee insisted, pacing the length of the beauty shop. He’d felt kind of ridiculous walking in the door, but his cousin D’Anna, who was off at college, had left him Laura’s number, saying that the older girl was one of her closest friends and probably the smartest person she knew. Laura had opened her place, Frenchy’s Beauty Salon, right after graduation four months ago and it was already the most successful shop in town. D’Anna had promised that Laura would help him out if he got into any kind of trouble.

“She told me herself that she wants a cool guy who rides a bike. That’s exactly what she’s looking for, and Kara Thrace isn’t just some chick, she’s—”

“Whoa,” Laura held up a hand. “Kara Thrace? Lee, she’s the head of the Pink Ladies. If you’re not a T-bird, which you are not, you can look, but—” She shook her head. “Actually, I wouldn’t even look.”

“But she broke up with Sam, and she’s sick of the T-birds. She thinks high school guys are all the same, and I have to show her that I’m different.”

Laura smiled. “I’d say you already are pretty different. Don’t you think maybe, if you like this girl that much, that you should just try to get to know her the normal way? Be yourself?”

He shook his head emphatically. “That’s not gonna cut it. She said I’m the boy next door and she wants hell on wheels.” The impossibility made his chest deflate and he looked to Laura. “Can you help me?  _Will_  you help me? Please.”

“She means that much, huh?” Laura marveled, her gaze so scrutinizing that Lee felt like he was suddenly standing in the principal’s office, in trouble for some unspecified crime. He made a mental note not to reveal to Laura exactly how he was managing to pay for the motorcycle.

He stood there, waiting for what seemed like an eternity, as Laura walked around him in a small circle, making him dizzy. Finally she stopped in front of him and smiled. “Well, I do like a challenge, and at least you’re easy on the eyes, so we’ve got a head start there.”

“So you think you can do it?” Lee asked. “Make me into a cool rider?”

Laura narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed, then raised a hand to pat her elaborately piled auburn beehive. “Can I? Oh, honey, you won’t even recognize yourself when I’m done with you.”

Lee grinned, relief making him giddy. This was going to happen. Kara Thrace wouldn’t know what hit her! He was so excited that he wasn’t even half as alarmed as he might normally be at Laura’s next statement.

“So, Lee, how do you feel about leather pants?”

****

Between writing papers for Karl and his friends (his little side business had expanded rapidly), playing for the talent show rehearsals (where at least he got to stare at Kara even if they didn’t really talk), and plotting with Laura (mimicking the flat tone and pronunciation of the American accent wasn’t the easiest thing in the world), the months passed in a busy blur.

Thanks to his little cottage industry, Lee was able to finally buy the old cycle he’d been eyeing out at Phelan’s Junkyard right before the Christmas break. It took another few months for him to learn how to ride the thing without bloody well killing himself. Once he’d mastered that, he moved on to tricks and stunts. It wasn’t enough for him to just putter up to Kara and hope that would impress her. No, he needed to knock her socks off.

As he practiced the jumps and wheelies he would need to wow her, Lee realized Kara had been absolutely correct. There was almost nothing better than the feeling of soaring down an open road, the wind rushing by you and the engine revving beneath you. Lee had never been the daredevil sort but when he was on his cycle, he felt...untouchable, invincible. He wasn’t the dutiful son who always did what he was told, or the nice guy who did what other people told him to. He broke the rules, he took risks, he played dangerous odds. The surprising truth of the matter was that Lee  _really did_  feel like a different person when he was on that bike.

And soon it’d be time to see just how Kara would like the new, cool Lee Adama.

***

Another Saturday night, the same old thing. The same faces, the same sounds, the same smells. Kara sighed, banging the buttons on the old pinball machine in the Bowl-a-rama’s arcade a bit harder than necessary. Sharon had cajoled her into coming, promising that they’d have fun and Kara couldn’t say no to her best friend. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anywhere else to go. Nothing exciting ever happened in—

“Conoy’s out front and he’s all alone!” Cally’s shout interrupted her brooding, and Kara’s eyes widened. Leoben Conoy was the head of the Cyclones, and Sam hated him something fierce.

Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that Kara had made the huge mistake of sleeping with the guy (she and Sam were definitely on an off-period, though he had seemed to think otherwise) one regrettable, but mercifully short evening.

The memory of it was pretty hazy honestly, thanks to all the beers he’d kept handing her, but the worst part came two weeks later when her Aunt Flo decided to skip the monthly visit and Kara had had nightmare visions of herself lugging around some towheaded brat for the rest of her life. That might be what the rest of the girls around here dreamed about, but it sounded like a nightmare to Kara. She never wanted to get married. Then you'd be always under some guy's thumb, practically a prisoner. 

Anyway it’d been a false alarm, thank god, and the whole damn thing should’ve probably amounted to nothing more than a blip on her radar screen. But in Leoben’s head it was like they’d had some grand romance. Whenever he came around, he took the opportunity to remind her that they were meant to be together, saying all kinds of corny shit, like it was written in the stars or she was his destiny or something, every chance he got.

Sam, of course, wasn’t too thrilled by that, and he’d been waiting for the chance to face off with the creepster for ages, but the Cyclones outnumbered the T-birds two-to-one. And if Conoy was out there alone, there was no way Sam would just cool his heels in here, even though it should have all been ancient history at this point.

Sure enough, the T-birds were already rushing to the big glass doors, the Pinks hot on their heels. Kara wasn’t thrilled about being what was basically the fire hydrant in their pissing contest, but she wasn’t about to miss the one bit of action that was actually going down finally.

She got to the door just in time to see Leoben, no longer alone but surrounded by his gang of Cyclones, shoving Sammy and knocking him onto the pavement. Clearly, it’d been a set up. Kara gasped, pushed the glass doors open and ran out into the lot, everyone pouring out behind her. She ran over to where Sam still lay on the ground and Leoben sat cackling on his bike.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, you sadistic jackass?” she yelled.

“Someday you’re gonna see what I see. You’ll tell me you love me, Kara,” Leoben insisted, playing the same old tune. He reached out and ran his hand up her side, trying to pull her towards him.

“In your friggin’ dreams, pal,” she tried to jerk away, but Leoben’s grip tightened and Kara saw red. She was so damn sick of people trying to push her around just cause she was a girl. So she reared back, hand balling into a fist, and let it fly, punching him right in the face.

Leoben’s head snapped to the side, then he swung it back towards her, eyes wide as he started cackling with manic laughter. Alarm spiked through Kara. This asshole was crazy. She wrenched away, stumbling back to put as much distance between them as possible.

A hush fell over the parking lot, everyone watching to see what would happen next, as Leoben toed the kickstand and got off his bike. He started striding toward her and Kara lifted her chin, ready for a fight, refusing to panic.

 _Well_ , she thought wryly,  _at least she was no longer bored_.

Then, all of a sudden, the loud revving of an engine cut through the air, and out of nowhere this bike zoomed through the space between them. Its rider, clad in skin-tight black leather, rose up and kicked a foot out into Leoben’s chest, knocking the guy clean off his feet.

Everyone’s heads swiveled, Kara’s included, to see this mystery guy.

He was like something out of her frigging dreams. The bike was custom-painted, flames licking the shiny black chassis, and she watched as he spun it expertly, shifting the machine between his thighs. Kara swallowed hard, eyes tracing over all that form-fitting leather, muscles bulging in all the right places. She couldn’t see his face because of the helmet and protective goggles, but she’d bet anything he was frigging gorgeous.

The crowd of students around her seemed just as shocked and amazed as Kara was. Kat let out a long wolf whistle and crowed, “Who’s that guy?”

“Where did he even come from?” Sharon wondered.

“More like, where can I get one?” Kara murmured appreciatively.

“Look at those goggles,” Karl guffawed. “He looks like he just flew in from outer space!”

“Yeah, well I don’t care where he’s from. If he’s looking for a rumble, some heads are gonna bust, man,” Tyrol said, palm smacking his fist, as the other T-birds shouted their agreement.

“Oh please,” Kara hissed. “The only thing you guys are gonna do is eat his dust.” And she stepped forward, blocking the rest of them out.

She only had eyes for the cool rider.

***

It turned out that skin-tight leather wasn’t the most maneuverable riding clothing.

Lee gritted his teeth, and hung on tight as he nearly skidded out on a sharp turn. Of course, he hadn’t exactly planned to get into a full-out motorcycle chase with not just one gang of bikers, but two. No, the plan had been to ride up, wow her with some simple tricks, and offer her a ride, easy as you please. When he’d seen that Cyclone creep threatening Kara though, he’d just lost his damn mind. How dare that jerk touch her. He couldn’t help but interfere.

Lee snuck a glance over to the sidewalk. He could see Kara standing there, eyes wide and trained on him, that perfect mouth of hers hanging open in amazement, and he bit back a grin. Maybe this would work out even better than he’d planned.

Either way, it was showtime.

Pumping the brake and flooring it, he popped a wheelie and zoomed forward, cutting through the swath of bikers, even running over the wheels of some of the washouts. Around him he could hear the gasps and cheers of the kids and he couldn’t believe it was working. They thought he was star.

He raced around the parking lot, adrenaline fueling him, as the other bikers washed out all around him, unable to keep up with his precision turns and fancy tricks. Lee said a quick silent thank you for being a mathlete, and braced himself for the final trick. He revved the engine and gassed it, shooting down the lot, gathering enough speed and momentum to drive the bike up the back of an ole’ Caddy and right up onto the car roof. He perched there idling, feeling the exhilaration and triumph rush through him. By god, he’d actually pulled it off.

Lee had a whopping thirty seconds to savor his success before sirens started blaring. Shit, the cops! He rode back down to the ground and sped around the corner of the Bowl-a-rama, staking out the scene from a safe distance.

He should probably go home. It’d be the smart thing to do. But Lee couldn’t go without talking to Kara first. He’d wait till they all cleared out. The cops wouldn’t catch him hiding back here.... probably.

***

As the bikers roared off, Kara stared after them, trying to figure out where the mystery guy went. She’d lost him in the confusion and now she didn’t see him anywhere. It was like he’d just poofed into thin air.

Behind her, Sam called out, “Everyone inside,” his voice tight with anger. “We bowl.”

Kara rolled her eyes. Maybe his other flunkies would, but if Sam thought she was gonna just jump to follow his commands like a dog or something, he had another think coming. She stepped further into the parking lot, squinting into the dark corner under one of the blown-out lights.

“You coming, K?” Sharon called.

Annoyed, she turned her head and huffed. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a few minutes, okay?”

The girls all exchanged a look at that, then to Kara’s dismay, started heading her way. “What’s eating you lately, huh?” Kat asked, eyes narrowed.

Kara sighed, and crossed her arms, settling in for the full inquisition. Over Sharon’s shoulder, she saw Sam turn on his heel and stalk back inside the bowling alley. Great. Was there anyone who wasn’t pissed at her? She should’ve known this was coming. “You know,” Kat continued. “There’s been talk.”

“We haven’t been talking,” Sharon was quick to reassure her, then flashed her a sympathetic glance. “But there has been talk questioning your loyalty to the Birds.”

“Which, you know, doesn’t mean you have to go steady with Sammy or anything,” Sonja hastened to add, head nodding. “I mean, I think it’s better for the both of you, that it’s over really.”

“But, the code does say we’re T-Bird chicks,” Kat pointed out, shrugging. “At least till graduation.”

“Yeah, well maybe I’m tired of being someone’s chick,” Kara snapped. She was so damn sick of being told what she could and couldn’t do. 

Kat arched an eyebrow. “Tired of being someone’s chick? You feeling OK?”

Hot Dog called her and she flounced off too. Leaving only Sonja behind. The girl smiled ruefully at Kara and slid closer.

God, didn’t they ever want anything more than this? “There’s gotta be more to life than making out, right?” There had to be. 

“Oh sure,” Sonja said, looking startled. “Here have a ciggie, you’ll feel better.”

Kara hesitated; she’d been trying to quit the damn things. What the hell, though, she thought, one more little smoke wouldn’t hurt her. She took the cigarette and stared at. If only a few puffs would make that feeling—the one that was like a constant gnawing in her stomach, the one that made her crave....  _something_. Something she didn’t even have words for, couldn’t put a name to. Kara just knew she didn't want to spend her whole life just being some guy's arm candy. She wanted...adventure! Excitement! 

She wanted what she’d felt when that mystery man had shown up tonight.

Damn, she was such a screw-up. She’d just finished bitching that there was more to life than making out and here she was mooning over some cool rider. It was pointless anyway. She'd probably just end up stuck here like her mother, bitter and mean and alone. 

“I don’t even know what I’m feeling,” she sighed to Sonja, slipping the cigarette between her lips. Sonja leaned in, trying to strike a flame with the book of matches she had. They wouldn’t ignite.

“God, I hate those kind of matches. Did you get those from the liquor store down the street?”

“No, I—” Sonja started to say but then there was a bright, steady flame held out to her.

“Oh, thanks,” Kara said as she leaned over and lit her ciggie, then let her eyes travel up from the silver zippo (she thought there was some kind of engraving on it, but couldn’t make out the words in the dark) , past leather-clad biceps to a face. _His face_.

Kara was speechless, her heart pulsing faster suddenly. She couldn’t actually see much of his face, the oversized goggles really only leaving his lips and jaw unobstructed. It was a great jaw. Strong and just the slightest hint of stubble. Her blood rushed and Kara wondered what that stubble would feel like against her thighs. And other sensitive areas.

“Want a ride?” His voice was husky and it washed over her, sending sparks dancing down her spine.

 _Hell, yes_ , she thought, and was just about to say so, when sirens cut the air once more. Her mystery man shifted, revving the bike’s engine. “Some other time,” he promised, and before she could blink he was racing off, headed straight for the cop car that had just pulled in to the Bowl-a-rama lot. Kara’s mouth dropped as he somehow managed to jump into the air at the last minute, soaring over the police car and dropping neatly back down on the other side before racing out of the lot, tires squealing.

Kara stared after the bike, head spinning. She hadn’t even gotten his name.

**

“So, some little birdies were in here earlier, tweeting about the motorcycle chase at the Bowl-a-rama last night,” Laura trilled at him as she swept up hair clippings from the beauty salon floor. “And according to Louanne Katraine, this very mysterious and gorgeous guy knocked one Kara Thrace right out of her bobby socks.”

She raised a finely arched eyebrow at him, eyes sparkling. “How do you plead?”

Lee grinned sheepishly. “Guilty as charged.”

Laura beamed and laid the broom aside to high-five him. Lee slapped her palm but then sunk down into one of the dryer chairs with a heavy sigh. “So...now what?”

“Now what?”

“Yes. On that motorcycle, in that gear, I knocked that girl out of her socks.” He shook his head, one hand lifting to pluck at the oxford shirt he wore. “But....like this...”

“You’ll knock her back into them,” Laura finished, awareness dawning.

Lee had lain awake for hours the night before, too keyed up from the Bowl-a-rama showdown and his narrow escape from the long arm of the law to sleep. He kept replaying in his head the look on Kara’s face when he’d reached over and lit that cigarette for her. She’d been...awestruck.

At first, he’d been proud, exhilarated to know he could prompt that sort of reaction from her, but the more he’d thought about it—overthought it, really—the more Lee resented the fact that it was all a lie. She wasn’t blown away by him, but by this figment of her imagination he’d brought to life, her cool rider. And when she found out the truth of who was under that helmet...

“Maybe this was just a crazy idea.” Lee said. “I should probably just tell her the truth. That I did all that just to impress her.”

“What?” Laura cried. “Are you nuts?” She walked over to the chair next to Lee’s and dropped down. “Telling her now would be a huge mistake. She’d feel like you set her up, played a trick on her.”

“Well, I did, didn’t I?” he asked morosely. “I tricked her into believing I’m someone I’m not.” Lee shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Laura’s mouth twisted into a sour expression. “Well, doing the right thing is a luxury you can’t afford. Not if you want to get the girl anyway.” She pointed a finger at him. “Kara Thrace is no minor leaguer. This girl knows her bases, Lee. She is hardly going to be impressed by a mystery guy popping wheelies in a parking lot.”

He sighed again, Laura was right. 

“Besides, we’ve worked for far too long on that American accent for you to end this whole thing before you even use it.” She shook her head. “Forget about the right thing. You need to do the smart thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“You stick to the plan. Be cool. Court her. Get her good and hooked.” Laura winked, then said in a husky tone, “Then give her the ride of her life.” 

Lee blushed. Could he really do this? This strutting leather clad biker...it wasn’t really him. Wasn’t the real him. And even if he could actually pull it off, did he really want Kara to fall for a charade? 

On the other hand, she barely seemed to give Lee the time of day at school. If this was the only way he could snag her attention...well, he’d just have to see it through. And hope the rest would sort itself out later. 

“OK,” he said finally, and smiled at Laura. “I’ll try to be smarter. And wronger.” 

***

The customers at Laird’s Service Station had been beyond insane all day.  _Check my oil, clean my windshield, where’s my green stamps, I need maps..._  Kara was at her wit’s end, running around like a chicken with her head cut off to try to keep them satisfied. She was just about to tell this asshole who kept sniffing down his nose at her like he thought he was so superior exactly where the hell he could go, when a soft, deep voice came from behind her. 

“Hey miss, what do I owe you?”

She whirled, her breath already catching in her throat and stared. He was back! The mystery man from the Bowl-a-rama. Her cool rider.

Kara stared at him, her face already breaking into an irrepressible grin. She flicked a glance at the gas pump. “Fifty cents.”

He patted himself down, hands skimming over those tight black leather pants and the close-cropped jacket. It was open almost to the navel and today he’d skipped the white T-shirt he’d been wearing underneath it Friday night. Her eyes got stuck on his chest, taking in the defined pecs and abs, and that tantalizing little trail of hair that led down to his belt. Kara wondered briefly if he was wearing anything underneath the rest of it. 

“Sorry, no pockets.” She watched his mouth curve into a dangerous smirk beneath the goggles and helmet. “How about that ride instead?”

No sooner did he get the words out than the other customers started honking their horns and shouting angry demands at her.

Kara hesitated for all of five seconds before she strode forward and climbed on to the back of the bike, sliding her arms around his waist. “Let’s go.”

They roared away, the smell of burnt rubber trailing them, as they blew past the rude customers. Kara lifted the hand still clutching the street maps she’d been grabbing and let go, letting the papers stream out behind her. “Honk it where the sun don’t shine!” she cried, her yell turning to raucous laughter as she tipped her head back to feel the wind rushing through her hair.

They drove for hours. A million sensations washed over Kara as she wrapped herself tighter around the mystery man. Her thighs hugged his hips, arms encircled his waist, and she pressed her face against the sun-warmed leather between his shoulder blades. Her skin was buzzing. The vibrations of the bike and the feel of hard muscle shifting against her with each every turn was driving her crazy. She couldn’t get close enough. She wanted to crawl inside his skin. 

Of their own volition, her hands started to roam, palms sliding over the butter-soft leather down from his waist, dipping into the bend of his hips and smoothing over his thighs. She could feel the firmness of muscle and it made Kara grasp a little harder, digging her fingertips in as she slowly dragged her hands back, her thumbs gliding along the pants’ inner seam all the way up his thighs. 

The bike revved under them, almost as if it was responding to her challenge and Kara grinned, and arched up, straightening her spine until she could press her face into the crook of his neck. Parting her lips against his skin, she inhaled deep, spice and leather and the faint salty tang of sweat filling her nose. It was crazy how much she already wanted him.

And oh god, did she want him. Kara was tempted to let her hands shift just a few inches inward, cup her palm against his fly and see if he was running as hot as she was right now. Nice girls weren’t supposed to, of course. Sharon’d only just let Karl get to second base and they’d been together for ages. But Kara wasn’t a nice girl. She didn’t particularly trouble herself with being good or pure or whatever _young ladies_  were supposed to be. When she was younger, she had. Tried to be a good girl for her parents, do everything right. Hadn’t made a damn bit of difference. Her father still ran out on them and her mother....was still her mother. So Kara stopped trying, and now when there was something she wanted, she reached out and grabbed it, with both hands. 

Usually. Right now though, something was holding her back from acting on that instinct. Maybe it was because she’d hardly exchanged two words with this perfect stranger. Sure, he looked like sin, but most guys didn’t like it when girls came on too strong. They needed to feel like they were the ones running the show. And it’d be a damn shame to scare him away without seeing what was under all that leather.

She slid her hands back up to his chest, palms slipping inside the open V of his jacket and over warm bare skin. If she hadn’t had her mouth against his neck, Kara would’ve missed the low groan that rumbled from his throat under the drone of the engine and the wind. She smirked into his skin and let her fingers slide further up, brushing across his abs and pecs with light strokes, circling a nipple, then feathering back down to trace that neat line of hair under his navel. 

Kara wanted more. 

With one quick movement, she swung herself up, off the seat and around, sliding onto his lap to face him. Without missing a beat, her cool rider popped the bike up, into a wheelie and gravity sent Kara sliding even closer into him. She squeaked at the sudden movement then wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his hips, her laughter trailing on the wind as they raced forward.

A few miles later, they pulled off at one of the scenic overlooks lining the California highway. Twilight was falling, painting the canyon with a palette of pink and purple and orange, and normally the secret artist in Kara would have been mesmerized by it. It was her favorite time of day, when the sky was awash with color, early stars gleaming even through the haze that normally hugged the horizon, and the night was young, endless possibilities awaiting. This evening, however, she only had eyes for her mystery companion. 

He turned the ignition off and lifted his hands from the bars, wrapping his arms around Kara finally, and pulling her even more snugly to him. Sparks cascaded through her body as he lifted a hand to her face, cupping her cheek, his thumb rubbing over her cheekbone. He seemed to be staring into her eyes but with the tinted, oversized goggles he wore, it was a little hard to tell. Kara was just opening her mouth to tell him to take them off, when he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. 

It was softer, more tentative than she’d expected from this devil in skin-tight leather, and for an odd, quick second, the kiss almost felt....familiar somehow. That strange heady tinge of deja vu started to grip Kara’s mind, but then suddenly he was deepening the kiss, his lips meeting hers more forcefully, mouth slanting hard and pushing hers open for his tongue to sweep in, and the feeling was lost, buried under an onslaught of sensation. Kara groaned into his mouth, her hands gripping hard on his shoulders for purchase, as he thrust deep, licking into her again and again. 

Her knees shifted, rubbing against his hips, as she tried to wriggle closer, till their bodies were locked against each other. The curiosity she’d felt earlier was answered. She could feel him, already hard against her, and she groaned again when his hands slid down and spread wide on her lower back, fingers curling against the pockets of her jeans to press her hips tighter to him. Kara rocked, aching, wanting more, as the cool rider— _she really had to find out his goddamn name_ —pulled back slightly, sucking a soft kiss onto first her lower lip, then her upper one. 

She was breathless, panting, and Kara ran her hands down, back into his jacket, where his chest was heaving too. Kara swallowed hard, feeling a shiver race down her spine as she raised her face to his, masked by the goggles and helmet.

“Where the hell have you been all my life, huh?” Kara breathed. “And just who the hell are you?”

***

Lee was having trouble breathing. He was having trouble thinking, too, heat and desire consuming him from the inside out. 

So it took a second for Kara’s question to penetrate the lust-fueled haze clogging his brain. 

And when it did, he hesitated. 

He wasn’t sure why. Especially since he’d just been insisting to Laura earlier that he should tell Kara it was him. But now, suddenly, doubt filled him. Beneath the protection of the helmet and glasses, he could be anything he wanted to be. Anything she wanted him to be. He wasn’t that nice guy who played the piano for the talent show recitals or the smart kid in her math class or the nerd who let Sam Anders and his thugs tell him what locker to use. 

No. For the first time in his eighteen years on the planet, Lee Adama was... _dangerous_.

And he kinda liked it.

He’d never been the sort of guy who could just act without weighing the consequences first, worrying about if it was fair, or who would be offended or upset or hurt by his actions. But today, on this cycle, wearing these ridiculous leather pants, he was a different person. One who was able to forget about who he was supposed to be and how he was supposed to behave and just take action. Take what he wanted. 

And he wanted Kara, more than he’d ever wanted anyone, or anything, in his whole life. That wasn’t just lust talking, either. Of course, she was sexy as hell and she totally turned him on, far more so than any other girl he’d been with—and he wasn’t a monk, there’d been a few—but Lee liked Kara for more than her body, or her face, or that mouth of hers— _god, that mouth_. He liked the glimpses he’d seen of her rebel spirit, of that smirk she liked to wear, of the swagger she had as she walked through the halls at school, like a lioness on the prowl stalking through her jungle kingdom. 

That raw, animal magnetism she exuded...she was a force of nature, like no one he’d ever met. He wanted her, but he wanted that too, wanted to know what it was like to have that much power, and, well... _freedom_. 

But if he confessed who he really was, it would all be over. Kara had told him point blank. She wasn’t interested in the boy next door. She wanted a cool rider, no ordinary guy was gonna do. And now that he had her, even just for a brief time, the possibility of losing her was unfathomable.

She was waiting though, still staring expectantly up at him, and Lee wasn’t sure what to do. Reluctantly, he raised a hand to the goggles, preparing to slide them down and reveal himself.  
Then suddenly her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. 

“Wait! On second thought, you know what?” A sly grin curved her lips. “I don’t want to know.” 

Lee let out a breath he hadn’t even been aware he was holding and before he could say anything, Kara was reaching up, sliding one hand behind his head and pulling his mouth back to hers.

Relieved, Lee stopped thinking, and let himself be dragged under by the tidal wave of sensation as their bodies connected again. Exhilaration washed over him.

The mystery man would remain a mystery for a little while longer. 

***

It was late, nearly midnight when they finally got back to the service station. The bike pulled to a stop, but Kara didn’t move. She didn’t want to let go. 

“Kara?” 

She startled slightly at the sound of her own name, wondering how he’d known it. “Yeah.” 

“We’re home.”

Sighing, she unlocked her arms from around his waist and swung a leg over the seat, sliding off. The night had turned cool, and without the warmth from his body heat, Kara shivered. Standing under the sharp florescent lights that flooded the station, reality returned to her in a rush. She’d spent the last three hours making out with a total stranger, and while she sure as hell didn’t regret it, it occurred to Kara that she really didn’t know the first thing about this guy. The uncharacteristic shyness made her shift on the grease-stained pavement, arms hugging herself as she racked her brain for something to say. 

She fixed her attention on the cycle in front of her, rather than the man. Kara’s gaze slid over the cracked leather seat and shiny new custom paint job. The bike was old, but clearly it’d been restored by someone who knew what they were doing. “It’s a great ride. Handles like a dream. Give it a little more clutch when you shift into first, and you’ll hit the sweet spot every time. This baby will be singing for ya.” 

When she looked up again, he was grinning at her in a way that made her gut flip. “You really know your stuff, huh?”

Kara shrugged, feeling slightly self-conscious. “Been saving up for a CL 175. Not as nice as your Scrambler, but it’s a pretty sweet ride.”

He reached out, hands curving around Kara’s hips, and pulled her close again. “Well then, next time, maybe you can drive.” 

Shock flooded Kara as she stared at him. Was this guy for real? Sammy’d barely let her breathe on his bike, never mind drive it. He would’ve laughed his ass off at the mere thought. Then the other part of his sentence registered. She broke into a broad grin. “Next time?” 

“Yeah, next time,” he murmured, then leaned in, mouth capturing hers once more in a long, deep, slow kiss that left her thoroughly boneless. He tilted, his helmet pressing to her forehead. “I need to see you again, Kara.”

She shivered a second time, not from the cold now, but from his plaintive demand. He said her name like it was a secret that only he knew, and it overwhelmed her suddenly. “This is nuts, right? I mean it’s beyond insane. I don’t even know your name,” she breathed.

He pulled away, let his hands drop from her waist, and there was a stiffness in his tone when he said, “I thought that was the way you liked it.” 

He wasn’t wrong. On either count. A wild, crazy fling with someone who hardly knew her and certainly didn’t know any of her baggage should have been just Kara’s speed. Normally it was. But somehow, with him, she just wanted...more. “I do, but, well, I can’t keep calling you mystery man,” she said, pouting slightly. “Besides, you know my name. How  _do_  you know my name anyway?”

He pointed a finger at her shirt and Kara looked down to see her name embroidered on the denim workshirt. She flushed. “Oh, yeah. Well, you got a nickname or something? What should I call you?”

He paused, head turning away for a moment, before he said. “Apollo.”

Kara’s eyes widened and she snickered. “Like the Greek God?”

He nodded. Then he shrugged and pointed to the vending machine standing a few feet away. “Or the candy bar.”

Kara laughed. “Well, I guess that works,  _Apollo_.” She leaned into him again, arms sliding around his neck and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “You do taste pretty good,” she murmured into his skin, moving her lips along the strong line of bone, up his cheek and to the corner of his mouth.

He twisted before she could pull back and covered her lips again, one hand reaching up to thread through the low ponytail she wore. God, the man could kiss. Kara was lost in it, the entire world narrowed to the point where their mouths met again and again, tongues tangled together. She could do this all day. Night. Whatever. 

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans, because suddenly the roar of bikes cut the air and then a familiar voice shouted, “Hey, that’s the guy who popped Conoy.” Karl. And then Hot Dog’s shrill voice came right after it, “Yeah, and look who he’s popping now.” 

They broke apart, and Kara whirled around, already angry and ready to give them hell for interrupting. But the sound of the Scrambler’s engine revving cut her off. She turned back to...Apollo. “Hey, you don’t have to go. I can handle these guys.” 

But he was already raising the kickstand. “Wait a minute, when will I see you again?” 

He flashed a grin at her as he spun the bike and thundered out of the station. “When you least expect it.” 

She stood there, hands on her hips, grinning after him for a long minute, until Sam’s voice punctured the Cloud 9 bubble she was floating on. “So what’s the story with the creep on the bike, Kara?”

Glowering, she turned. The T-birds were all staring, stone-faced, and even Sharon and Sonja were looking expectantly at her. Kara raised her chin and crossed her arms. “If you’re looking for some kind of explanation, I’m not gonna give you one. I’m not. It’s none of your business.”

He got off the bike and swaggered over to Kara. “Oh, is that right?”

“Why don’t you leave her alone, Sam?” Sonja sighed. 

“You, shut up,” he tossed off then turned back to Kara, “And you, let’s have it.”

“Have what?” Kara sneered. 

“The story!” Sam frowned. “You’re a Pink Lady. And I’m a T-Bird. So it is my business. And no chick of mine messes with no other creep except this cr—” he stopped, realizing what he’d said and rolled his neck, gritting the words out as he continued “ _except a T-bird_ , if I got anything to say about it.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t!” Kara yelled, just as Sonja came stalking over to stand toe to toe with Sam. “No chick of  _yours_?”

Kat whistled. “Someone’s jealous.” 

“I ain’t jealous,” Sam insisted. “We may be over, but there is still a code, a tradition—” 

“Oh please, I don’t give a damn about some stupid T-bird code,” Kara snapped, and their captive audience gasped collectively. “This is my life, Sammy.  _Mine_. You got a problem who I choose to spend my time with, well that’s just too damn bad.” She narrowed her eyes and stared up at him. “I told ya once already. I do what I want, when I want,” she paused, “and  _who_  I want.” She heard another round of gasps, but she wasn’t finished. Kara looked pityingly at Sam. “And you’re just gonna have to find a way to get used to that.” 

She turned and strode up the steps into the station’s office, letting the screen door slam behind her.

***

The parking lot was silent for a moment. 

Sam blinked twice. He couldn’t believe Kara had had the cojones to just walk away from him like that. He was the king of the T-birds, the leader of the pack, the rebel without a... no, that wasn’t right. Whatever. This was supposed to be his year. He realized suddenly that all eyes were on him.

“Yeah,” he called out belatedly to the screen door, “well if I catch you with that little punk one more time, I’ll rearrange his pretty face. He’s a dead man, Kara. You hear what I’m saying? D-E-D.”

There was no response from the screen door.

Sam rolled his neck, and pulled out a comb from his back pocket smoothing down his ducktail. He stuffed it back in his pocket, then popped his collar and turned back to his boys, snapping his fingers. “Let’s roll.”

Karl, Galen and Hot Dog exchanged some looks, but they turned to head back to their bikes. Sam ignored it and climbed on his own cycle. Something felt off. It took him a few seconds to realize what it was.

“Sonja, come on,” he called to the blonde, who was standing off to the side, arms crossed with a stubborn look on her face. “Let’s go.” 

“No.”

Sam sighed. Women. What the hell, were they all on the rag this week? He climbed off the bike again and headed for Sonja. “Baby, come on, we gotta split.”

“Don’t you baby me.” She glowered at him. “I am so sick of this, Sam.” She leaned in, wide blue eyes pinning him, and all he could think was, god she was gorgeous when she was angry. Well, she was gorgeous all the time, but he’d never seen Sonja like this. Usually she just went along with whatever he said. It was kinda hot actually.

“Sonja, babe,” she arched an eyebrow and he hastily corrected himself, “hon, don’t be like that, alright? You know I ain’t jealous. I got you, don’t I? But Kara’s a Pink Lady, she can’t just be messing around and riding off with some random punk just cause he’s got a bitchin’ bike. She belongs with a T-Bird.”

“A T-Bird, or you, Sammy?” She asked, and those blue eyes of hers flashed as he gaped at her. “I think you better decide just who belongs to whom around here.” 

And with that, she spun away, running up the steps and into the service station after Kara. Sharon and Kat exchanged a look, then slid off the bikes behind Karl and Hot Dog and headed in the same direction. 

“I think you owe Sonja an apology,” Sharon sniffed. 

“Jerk!” was all Kat had to say.

The two of them disappeared behind the screen door, and the four T-Birds stood in the middle of the deserted service station just staring at each other. 

“Ah, forget about it,” Karl said finally, slinging an arm around Sam.

“Who needs them broads anyway?” Galen said, coming up on his other side. “We should find us some chicks who ain’t so high maintenance.”

“Yeah, show these gals what they’re missing!” Hot Dog hollered. 

Sam snuck a look back to the door of the service station, but it wasn’t even moving. He popped his collar again. “Let’s roll, T-birds. We’re going prowling.”

The guys sent up a chorus of approval, but as Sam climbed back onto his bike and pulled out of the station, he found that once more, he couldn’t get that Pink Lady out of his mind. The only difference now was that the blonde in his head was about a foot taller and had flashing blue eyes instead of golden-green ones. 

***

Lee propped his elbow on his physics book, and his head on his hand, and tried not to fall asleep. He’d been seeing Kara as much as he dared, taking her for long midnight rides that ended in even longer makeout sessions, staying out later and later with each successive trip. Between those late nights, the rehearsals after school for the talent show, and all of his schoolwork that he had to cram in between, Lee was getting by on very little sleep these days. Not that it wasn’t worth it. 

He perked up as Mr. Baltar handed back their papers, pleased to see the red-inked A at the top of his. From where he sat, he had the perfect angle over Kara’s shoulder and saw the big red D- at the top of hers with the words “See me after class!” scrawled beneath. An idea took hold.

Fifteen minutes later, Lee was in the hallway, trying to look casual and failing miserably, when Kara finally emerged, blowing past him, a scowl on her face. 

“So,” Lee said, as he matched his stride to hers, “I guess he didn’t like your paper.”

She flicked a glance his way still on the move. “The creep said I had to write it again.” Kara frowned. “Like I give a crap about the principles of physics.” 

Lee took a breath, deciding to roll the hard six as his father would say. “You know, I’m pretty good at this stuff. Would you like some help?”

She shrugged, not even sparing him a glance. “I dunno.”

Lee paused. This wasn’t going as planned. He couldn’t seem to catch her attention unless he had a bike and black leather. Maybe some Apollo attitude was in order here. 

“Well, think about it. It’s not a difficult decision.”

 _That_  made her stop and turn to him. Her eyebrows were raised, eyes wide, and he thought he saw the faintest trace of a curve to her lips. 

“K, you coming?” One of her friends called from the flight below. 

“Yeah,” she said, although her eyes stayed on Lee. “I’ll think about it.” This time he was sure he caught a trace of a smirk before she moved on. 

***

The next afternoon, Kara stopped him on the way out of musical rehearsals.

“That offer still open, Adama?”

“Yes, on one condition.” Her face took on a wary cast, suspicion in her eyes. “Call me Lee.” 

She stared at him, then her face softened, a grin forming. “Fair enough. So where should we go,  _Lee_?”

“Burger Joint?”

She hesitated, and he saw her shoot a glance at the other Pink Ladies who were headed out the door. “Unless you’re too cool to be seen with me in public. Your friends, the T-birds, will probably—”

Kara’s jaw lifted, cutting him off. “My friends’ll have to learn to mind their own business.” She linked an arm through his. “Let’s go.” 

An hour later, they were sitting in the corner booth, abandoned plates of food rapidly cooling on the table, as Lee tried to make sense of Kara’s essay. 

“I don’t usually do this bad,” she sighed. “I just got a lot on my mind lately.”

“Oh,” Lee said, having a pretty good clue what that might be. He shifted awkwardly, but felt the need to say something. “Well, if there’s anything you want to talk about it, I’m—”

“Nah, it’s not a school thing. Let’s just get this stuff over with”

“Okay,” he let it drop, breathing a slight sigh of relief. “So your paper’s on the laws of motion, right?”

She nodded, albeit slowly.

“Well, I think what’s important to remember is—”

“It’s this guy.”

He froze. “What guy?”

“This guy I met at— No, you know what. Forget it,” Kara said, picking at her french fries.

“I’m trying, you’re not making it very easy,” Lee murmured.

“It’s just, I had this idea, you know, of....Mr. Right. Remember?” she grimaced. “Stupid, right?”

“Right,” Lee sank back in the booth, resigned.

“And then, out of nowhere, he just shows up! Like some dream or something.” Kara dragged a fry through the pool of ketchup on her plate and shoved it in her mouth, talking all the while. “I don’t even know who he is. He wears these goggles all the time. It’s kinda weird, right? I mean, not weird weird, but exciting weird.” She frowned.

“So what’s the problem?” Lee asked, unsure if it was nuts to actually resent yourself.

“See now I’m kinda torn. Like I can’t decide if I really want to find out who it is under there. I mean, what if he’s not what I imagined and he’s just, like, some ordinary guy.” 

Lee swallowed hard. “What if he is? Would that be so terrible? You obviously like this guy, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…” 

“But what?”

“Well I don’t really know him. I mean, we don’t really do a lot of talking,” her eyebrows waggle, “if you know what I mean.” 

Lee flushed slightly. Yes, he knew exactly what she meant. “Perhaps you should, uh, try to get to know him, then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She waggled a ketchup-laden fry at him. “But this guy, he’s perfect. He’s like... like a blank slate.” 

Lee could feel himself getting angry, which was ridiculous, but this whole conversation was starting to drive him nuts. He wasn’t even sure what side he should be arguing. “And that’s what you want? Someone who’s blank?” He frowned. “Maybe you should have stayed with that boneheaded ex of yours, then.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha, very funny.” She shook her head, and reached for the ketchup bottle, squeezing even more on her plate to Lee’s amazement. “I’m just saying, maybe it’s better like this. I don’t know nothing about him and he don’t know nothing about me.”

“And that’s a good thing?” 

“Maybe,” she said. “I mean, to this guy, I’m not just Kara Thrace, the screw-up, or Kara Thrace, the girl who’s too dumb to write a stupid essay right the first time.” 

“Wait, so you think your Mr. Right wouldn’t like you if he got to know you?”

She shrugged a shoulder, attention focused on her plate. 

“Kara, that’s crazy. You’re fearless and funny, and somehow you even make a really stupid Christmas tree costume look good.” That got a tiny smile. Emboldened, he reached out and laid his hand over hers. “Any guy in his right mind would be thanking his lucky stars to have you.” 

Kara’s glance fixed on his hand over hers, then up to his face, staring at him, wide-eyed, her mouth open, a fry still dangling mid-air.

Lee snatched his hand back. “Anyway, um, we, uh, we should just get back to the paper.” He reached for her essay and raised it in front of his face, pretending to read and willing his face to stop turning twelve shades of purple. 

“Well, I do wear tinsel pretty well,” he heard from the other side of the paper after a few seconds, and when he snuck a glance at her, she was grinning again. 

Lee smiled too, then stole a fry from Kara’s plate, nimbly dodging her slapping fingers, before launching with great gusto into an explanation of Newton’s theories of motion.

***

Hours later, Lee was enjoying the laws of motion in a much more tactile way. He shifted on the bike, Kara’s warm body pressed to his back, her hands splayed on his chest. He accelerated, increasing the speed and making Kara’s arms wrap that much tighter around him. 

His body tightened as well, reacting to the press of her lips against his neck, then the gentle tug of her teeth on his earlobe. “Let’s go faster,” she purred into his ear, and Lee reached for the throttle, but Kara’s hand caught his wrist, then her lips were brushing his lobe again, as she whispered, “Not that way.”

His throat went dry, anticipation flooding his body, and just a minute later, he spotted a dense grove of trees at the roadside, and pulled off the highway. No sooner did he lower the kickstand, the bike still idling roughly under them, than Kara had twisted around him, climbing into his lap. 

Lee met her halfway, sliding a hand up into her hair, holding her head steady as he captured her lips in a hard, urgent kiss. She parted them on a moan, and he thrust his tongue inside, probing deep, while he slid his free hand up and under her sweater.

He’d never dated—if you could even call what they were doing, dating—a girl like Kara before. They’d only been out a handful of times, but in Lee’s experience, most girls had rules. About how far you could go, what layer of clothing you had to stop at, what was too much. With Kara, though, there was no such thing. She never stopped him, only egged him on, wanting more. And it only made Lee want more too. 

He cupped her breast, thumb rubbing her nipple through the thin cotton of her bra. Lee pressed wet, open-mouthed kisses up and down the column of her throat, and Kara moaned softly. He couldn’t get enough of her. Lee was addicted to the scent of her skin, the sounds she made—it was all driving him crazy. He forgot to be gentle or solicitous, when they were alone like this. He could barely control himself with her. 

Not that Kara seemed to mind. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist and and her hands were sliding down his chest. The back of her fingers pressed into his stomach as she slid them beneath the waistband of his pants, fumbling at the button. Lee groaned, cursing internally as his conscience kicked in, and he reached down to still her hands. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Kara gasped, eyes flying open. Her pupils were dark and dilated, and the skin around her lips was red, her mouth swollen from the brutal, urgency of their kisses. The sight of it made him flinch with guilt. 

“Maybe... we should slow down a bit,” he swallowed thickly. 

“Slow down?” Kara echoed, like she’d never heard those words before and was unfamiliar with their meaning. “Why would we want to do that?” she asked, but the words were muffled as she leaned in and kissed his neck. 

“I just-,” Lee swallowed another groan, his head automatically tilting back and his eyes fluttering closed as she slid her mouth higher, tracing the line of his jaw with her tongue. “I thought we could-” he jumped as her hand slipped out of his grasp and slid into his pants, “t-talk and—ngh ohhhh—” her fingers slipped into his briefs, then curled around his dick, “get- get to know each other.” Lee was panting now, hardly able to get the words out. 

“Oh- okay,” Kara breathed, easily sliding her other hand out from under his now, and popping the button of his pants open. She shifted and gripped him tighter, her hand starting to slide up and down in steady strokes, while she talked. “My favorite color is blue, I never lose at cards, and I like the sound of the rain.” A deep, guttural moan erupted from Lee’s throat, all coherent thoughts flying out of his head as he got lost in the blissful, rhythm of her fist pulling at him. “Is that enough small talk, Apollo?” 

The answer must have been yes, because Lee cut off her words, his mouth devouring Kara’s, and they did no more talking for a very long time. 

***  
Kara yawned, lazily etching the soft line of an eyebrow in her physics notebook. It had been a late night, yet another one, and if Lee didn’t get her in the next—her gaze flicked to a clock over the kitchen door of the Burger Joint—ten minutes, she was going home and getting some shuteye. 

Kara frowned at the drawing of Apollo she’d half-completed. The jaw was right and the straight line of the nose, but the eyes were... She shook her head and quickly traced the shape of the goggles over the lightly shaded orbs she’d drawn. Kara didn’t even know what color his eyes were. 

“Hey, sorry, I was—” She looked up into the apologetic and very blue eyes of Lee Adama, which were wide with surprise suddenly. “Oh, did you— that’s really good. Wow.” 

Kara bit her lip, pleased at the compliment, but just shrugged a shoulder and flipped to a clean page. “I just mess around.” 

“But that’s excellent, Kara. You’re really talented!” He insisted, lifting his satchel over his head and placing it on the table. He turned back to her and Kara noticed now the bags under his eyes. Looked like Lee had been keeping some late nights too. She was distracted from her train of thought by his next question though. “Are you going to study art in college?”

Surprised, Kara shook her head. “Nah, I can’t afford it. Probably just end up going full time at the station.” She frowned, then clarified. “I work at Laird’s over on—” 

“Pegasus Ave. I know,” he said, matter-of-factly, before barreling on. “You could apply for scholarships! At home in London, the Royal College of Art awards nearly fifty scholarships every year to new students, you know. Full ride, even. You could apply there,” Lee was all fired up, eyes wide, his voice heating and carrying with enthusiasm. It was kind of cute, honestly. He stopped and flushed, as if realizing he’d gotten a bit carried away. “Or here,” he said more quietly. “There’s plenty of great art schools here, too, I’m sure.”

“It’s a nice dream, Adama—  _Lee_ ,” she corrected as he raised an eyebrow at her, “but, c’mon, can you really picture me in London? Having tea with the Queen or whatever?” Kara snorted with laughter. The idea was ridiculous. Crazy. 

Tempting. 

God, she’d love to see all their faces if she suddenly announced she was blowing this pop stand. Going to some Royal College in friggin’ England of all places. Kara hadn’t been farther than the Santa Monica pier in her whole damn life. 

Lee was still staring at her, all starry-eyed. “Sure, why not?” 

Kara grinned. This kid was something else. He was such a dreamer. Lee thought she could do anything. The way he looked at her sometimes...

If she wasn’t careful, Kara just might start believing him.

“Why not? Because that kind of shit only happens in the movies, Adama.” Kara grimaced, the reality of her situation making her cranky all over again. “And there ain’t no white knight coming to rescue me from a lifetime of lube jobs and oil changes, alright?” 

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re no damsel in distress then,” Lee said, grinning. “Because I suspect, that if said knight did come riding your way, you’d just tell him to piss off and that you’d save yourself.”

Reluctantly, she grinned back. “Yeah, probably. But Lee, c’mon. A scholarship? With my school record? Ain’t gonna happen.” Kara’s lips tightened. “No, if I have a fate, it’s already set. And wishing for things I can’t have, impossible things, ain’t gonna make it any different.”

Lee sighed. “All I’m saying Kara is that you have options. Choices. Destiny is what you make of it.” He aimed a sly glance her way. “Besides, you wished for that mystery guy and you got what you wanted, didn’t you?”

Kara stared at him, and for one crazy moment, she didn’t know the answer to his question. Had she? Was that what she wanted? Some hot guy on a bike to ride up and sweep her off her feet? She’d thought it was but maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe what she really wanted was someone who’d help her stand her ground. 

“Kara?” Lee’s voice cut into her thoughts and she blinked up into concerned blue eyes. Then she shook her head and looked away, flipping open her textbook. “Yeah, and speaking of, we should probably get to work. I got a date later.” 

He looked for a second like he was going to say something, but it passed and Lee just shrugged. “Okay.” He opened his book and slid a notepad out of his bag. Kara fidgeted, feeling off balance and uncomfortable as Lee snapped open a pencil case and painstakingly selected a fresh No. 2 and a sharpener. Kara tried not to roll her eyes, having already witnessed this ritual several times, and tried to steer the conversation back to safer ground.

“So, is that what you’re doing next year? Going back to London for college.” 

“Yes. Oxford notified me I’d been accepted early admittance last month. If I can schedule it properly—” Kara grinned at his accent, the way been sounded like _bean_  and schedule was missing the hard c sound— “I should be able to complete my undergrad degree in three years and then apply to Oxford Law.”

“God, you’re like a parent’s wet dream, aren’t ya?” 

He cut a hard glance at her, and Lee scoffed. He actually scoffed. “Hardly.” 

“Oh c’mon. You’re super smart, all the teachers love you, and I bet you’ve never even got detention like ever.” 

His face tightened, growing slightly pale, and Kara saw a muscle jump along his jawline. 

“So what?” he gritted, voice bitter and tight. “Didn’t stop my parents from getting rid of me, did it?”

Kara blinked. “What do you mean?”

Lee stared down at his textbook, nostrils flaring slightly as he flicked it open, turning pages so quickly one tore. He licked his lips and said, “Never mind, Kara. Let’s just—”

“No way,” she reached over and shut the book’s cover gently, trapping his hand still inside. “What are you talking about, Lee?”

She watched his Adam’s apple bob, as he swallowed hard, then tilted his head. “My father and I have never really gotten along very well. And we were sparring, last summer, with gloves in the basement.” He paused, blowing out a hard breath. “And we were arguing about my future. He’s a navy commander now, used to be a pilot, and ever since I was little, all I’ve ever heard was that ‘A man isn’t a man until he wears those wings, son.’ ” 

Kara shifted closer on the cracked vinyl of the booth’s seat, her eyes wide as she watched Lee. He was still staring at the textbook cover, talking in that cold, robotic voice. Automatically, she slid the textbook aside, and moved her own hand over his, fingers curving around his palm.

Lee didn’t even seem to notice. “I told him, finally, that I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps, didn’t want to join the military. That I wanted to go to law school like my grandfather had.” He smiled, but it was a grim, terrible thing. “He laughed at me, he just laughed, and I was so bloody furious suddenly. He’s never listened to me, and I...” Lee shook his head, “I hauled off and clocked him with an uppercut. Knocked him right down.” He laughed, a brittle choked sound. “I wasn’t even sorry.”

Kara squeezed his fingers. She wanted to tell him that she knew what that was like. That her mom....well, that she was a piece of work, too. But she didn’t want to interrupt him. 

“Anyway, the next day, he came downstairs for breakfast and said he’d made all the arrangements. That I was going to spend senior year here with his old Fleet buddy. That a change of scenery would be good for me. And that’s how I ended up here in a new country and a new school, five thousand miles away from my friends and everyone I know for senior year.”

“God, Lee, that’s... that really sucks.” As bad as they fought sometimes, Kara couldn’t imagine her mother ever sending her away or having to spend her senior year without Sharon and Sonja and Kat...hell, or even without Sammy and the T-birds, as annoying as they were sometimes. 

“Yeah, the Tighs are okay, mostly, but I worry sometimes about my brother, Zak,” his face looked pained. “My dad’s away a lot, and my mom is... well, let’s just say she’s not going to win any mother of the year awards.” 

“It must be really hard. You probably hate it here.” 

“It did at first. Those T-birds of yours didn’t make it any easier.” He tilted his head, then smiled finally and the mood lifting a little as he squeezed her fingers back. “But it’s better now that I have y—” Lee froze, his face going blank and his hand sliding away from hers, “ketchup.”

“Ketchup?” Kara repeated skeptically, completely confused.

“Yeah, yes,” he cleared his throat. “It’s, uh, very watery in England. You guys have the good stuff here. Everything’s better with ketchup, right?” He smiled at her.

“Right,” Kara said slowly. He was kind of weird, but a good guy, this Lee Adama. It was funny, because she hadn’t known him very long, but she felt like they had this weird connection. He just seemed to get her, even better than most of the Pinks and the T-birds. Kara realized with a pang that she would really miss him after graduation, when he went back to England.

She raised a hand to flag down the waitress. “A burger for my friend, loaded.”

“With ketchup,” Lee added, smiling at her, deep enough to crinkle the corners of his eyes.

“Double ketchup.” Kara called, smiling back at him.

***

Two days later, in the corner booth at the Burger Joint, Kara threw down her pencil in disgust. “This is hopeless,” she groaned. “I don’t know why I bother. I always get this shit wrong.”

That was an exaggeration. She’d gotten a B+ on the revised paper Lee had helped her rewrite in their previous sessions. Unfortunately, she was still in danger of failing, and thus not graduating, having neglected her studies for too long. 

Lee, of course, had been thrilled. Not that Kara was failing, but that he actually had a pretense to get to know her better. Helping her figure out the concepts behind the advanced trig questions that were sure to be on the upcoming final meant extra hours with Kara, and ones actually using their mouths for something other than making out.

“It’s good to be wrong sometimes,” he piped up helpfully. “Because then you know what to fix. You’re learning, Kara. You just have to be patient.”

“Yeah, well, patience, ain’t really my strong suit.” She sighed heavily, frowning at the papers in front of her. “Force and mass and vectors—why do they have to make it so confusing, huh? It makes my brain hurt.”

“You have a brain?”

She glared at him. “Not funny.” 

“Oh sure, but it would’ve been, if  _you’d_  thought of it,” he murmured. Kara’s lips curved into something that was halfway between a pout and a grin, and she kicked his ankle under the table. Oddly, she didn’t pull her foot back, just let it rest on top of his. “When am I ever gonna need to know this crap, anyway?”

“Actually, you use it everyday,” he wagged a fry at her. “You just don’t realize it.”

“Really, I’m using vectors?” She asked, skepticism dripping from each syllable.

Lee nodded, warming to the topic. “Yup, see if force is F and mass is m and acceleration is a, then F equals m times a. The vectors for force and acceleration run in parallel directions so...” He broke off, when he looked up and saw Kara’s eyes already clouding over. Clearly, he needed another way to get through to her. Lee thought for a moment. 

“Actually, I’ve got a better idea.” He stood up and threw some money on the table to cover both his and Kara’s meals. “Come with me,” he grinned. “We’re taking a field trip.”

Ten minutes later, she found out that Lee had meant the words literally. They stood on the track that encircled the high school football field. Lee led the way over to where the track and field apparatus stood, awaiting the team practice in an hour. It was an unseasonably warm, even for early spring in Southern California, so he shrugged the sweater he was wearing over his head and tossed it aside, thankful for the undershirt he’d thrown on that morning. 

A sharp whistle cut the air. “You’ve been holding out on me, Adama,” Kara was grinning at him, squinting in the bright afternoon sunlight as she held up a hand to shield her eyes. “Nice arms.” She stepped closer to him, reaching out a hand and wrapping it around his bicep and squeezing the muscle.

Lee froze, the movement startling him. He shifted his gaze down to where her hand was, relieved to realize the thin red scratches she’d raked down his bicep the night before were hidden—mostly—under the sleeve of his shirt. “Are you done manhandling me, Thrace?” he said, mock sternly. “Because we have work to do.”

She smirked and let go. “Yes sir,” Kara said and mimed a salute.

He grabbed a pole then came back to stand in front of Kara. “As the captain of the track team, am I right to assume you’ve done the long jump a time or two?”

Kara grinned. “Yeah, I’ll say a time or two...or twenty. I’m the long jump champ for the district.” 

“Well good. So this,” he shook the javelin slightly, “is mass, okay? It’s heavy, solid. Now, when you add acceleration—you running—to this mass and the added mass of your body as you push into the ground, you get force. And what happens when you don’t have enough force?”

Light dawned in those sparkling green eyes. “You don’t clear the bar.”

“Exactly. And too much force?”

“You overshoot and could miss the safety mat.”

“That’s exactly right.” He grinned and held up his hand for Kara to high five him. “Guess there is a brain rattling around in there after all.” 

They went over it a bunch more times, and Lee even tried to explain how you could use the formulas to project the correct angles and trajectories, thinking Kara would find it useful and relevant to her long jumps. She insisted on trying out the newfound knowledge on the spot, in fact, and Lee watched as she made a perfect long jump, her body arcing gracefully above the high bar before bouncing squarely into the center of the safety mats.

“Ok, so maybe, just maybe, there’s something to this vector stuff,” she said, as he reached down and held a hand out to her. Kara took it, and Lee pulled her up off the mat and onto her feet. He started to let go but she tightened her grip on his. “You’re a really smart guy, you know that?” Kara grinned, but then her smile faded slightly. “And you must think I am some kind of dummy.”

Maybe it was the fact that once again she was touching him— _him_ , not Apollo, her fantasy guy—willingly that emboldened Lee. “Actually, I think you’re kind of terrific.”

The grin on her face widened again, and she playfully slugged his other arm, “Get outta here. You’re the one who knows all this deep junk.”

She tried to let his hand go, but Lee held on, his heartbeat thumping faster suddenly. He wanted this, he realized. No more hiding under goggles and helmets, only having Kara under the cover of night. He wanted to hold her hand like this in daylight, with people around. He wanted people to know that she was his. Kara stared at their hands, and Lee took a step closer. He started to tug on her hand slightly, pulling Kara forward, until their faces were only inches apart. 

Her eyes widened, and her chest heaved slightly like she’d taken a big breath but hadn’t let it out. Lee watched her face carefully, saw her throat convulse hard like she was swallowing. And he tilted his own head, lips already pursing as he squeezed her hand tighter. And then suddenly Kara was tugging back, jerking her hand out of his grasp. She shifted, wide eyes flickering away from his, as she tucked a piece of blonde hair behind one ear then reached down for her schoolbag. 

“So, when you gonna get yourself a girl, Lee?” Her voice was higher than usual, the words hurriedly spoken. “I bet there’s lots of ‘em at Rydell who’d love to go out with a guy like you.”

“Yeah? What about you?” he asked, undeterred. 

“Me? Are you kidding?” She laughed quickly, the tone shrill and unlike the loud cackles she usually let rip, and Lee’s heart plummeted to his stomach. Kara started walking, muttering half under her breath, “Right, that's all l need.”

“No, I wasn’t, actually,” he said stiffly, lengthening his stride to keep up with her again. His pride was wounded and his temper pricked by her laughter and immediate dismissal. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She stopped abruptly, blew out a deep breath that made the strand of hair she’d just tucked away come loose again and dance in the air. “God, look, I didn’t mean anything by it,” Kara rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing personal, all right. It’s just, like I told you, there’s this guy I been seeing...” 

“Ah, right, your dream man.”

‘Yeah,” she said, then less certainly, “Maybe.” Kara shook her head. “Besides, we’re just...we’re different types, you and me.”

“Different types?”

She sighed. “You’re a nice guy, Lee—”

“But nice guys finish last, right?” he finished for her, bitterness seeping into the words. Kara just stared at him sullenly. “You know what that sounds like to me?” 

She frowned, crossing her arms. “Please, enlighten me.”

“An excuse,” he leaned closer, close enough for his breath to send that loose strand dancing again. “You’d rather hook up with some fantasy man, because you can’t handle a guy who’s real. A guy who might see the real you.” 

Kara’s eyes widened and she started gnawing on her lower lip. Immediately, Lee knew he’d hit the nail on the head, but then she snorted, turned away. “Whatever. Even if I wasn’t with Ap—this other guy, there's a Pink Lady code, OK?”

“Yeah, I know about the code. You’re T-bird property. Except when you’re not, right? Pretty convenient if you ask me.”

Her face went stormy, jaw clenching as she gritted out, “Well, who the hell asked you, anyway?”

“No one.” Lee shook his head, feeling defeated suddenly. “No one at all,” he said quietly and walked away, leaving Kara standing in the empty field.

***

Kara sighed, as she watched him walk away. Where the heck had all that come from? And why did she feel so guilty?

Sure, she knew Lee’d had some kind of misguided crush on her in the beginning. But that was before they’d gotten to know each other. Before he knew what a screw-up she was. Before they’d become friends. 

And Kara hadn’t ever had a friend like Lee before. He wasn’t like any of the guys around here. He had all these big ideas, and he had a future. A real future. When she was stuck here in nowheresville, still working as a grease monkey, he’d be off at his fancy college figuring out how to change the world. 

Even if she wanted to start something, he’d be leaving soon anyway, so what was the point? 

Kara frowned. What was she even saying? She already  _had_  something. With Apollo. The mysterious Apollo. In her head she heard an echo of Lee’s accusation, that he wasn’t real. Which made no sense. Because of course he was real. Apollo wasn’t some...some kind of ghost or angel that Kara had conjured up in her mind. He was flesh and blood and when she was wrapped around him at night, he sure the hell felt real. Sure, maybe she didn’t know a lot about him, maybe they didn’t like share tales of childhood trauma and shit, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a real relationship?

Did it?

Kara scowled, feeling confused and not liking it one bit.  _Friggin’ guys_ , she thought, as she stomped off the field and towards the parking lot, her mood completely soured now. Why can’t they just make things simple? They start thinking that you should answer to them. That they own you! 

“Kara!” 

As if on cue, she looked up to see a familiar figure strutting towards her. Kara rolled her eyes, propping her hands on her hips and planting her feet on the concrete. Great, round two with judgmental dickheads. 

“What do you want, Sammy?”

“Just saw that English egghead hightailing it outta here. You sure picked up a lotta new friends lately.”

Kara glowered at him, but didn’t bother responding. 

“Yeah, well, l just wanted to let you know that I been thinking and—,” 

“You been thinking, Sammy? I’m impressed.” 

“All right, all right, just shut up and let me say this, already.” Sam smoothed a hand over his pompadour, “Anyways, so I been thinking about it a lot, and I’m officially declaring us,” he stopped and blew out a breath like he was having trouble getting the words out, “as an item... officially over.”

“You're declaring?” Kara asked, half-annoyed and half-amused.

“That's right.” Sam puffed out his chest.

“OK, fine,” she lifted her hands. “You've declared it. It's over. See ya around, Sam.” Kara pushed past him. 

“Hey, Kara, wait! Wait up.”

She paused, rolling her eyes, and Sam walked back over to her, staring at her face. “Are you....you know, happy, with this mystery biker guy?”

Kara shifted restlessly, crossing her arms. “Sure, yeah, I’m happy.”  _I think_.

He looked at her, long and hard, like he wasn’t sure if he believed her. . “Well...good.” He nodded his head, and his voice lost some of its bravado for once. “You deserve to be happy, Kara.”

She smiled at him. He wasn’t a bad guy. Now that he wasn’t treating her like she was his personal property, maybe they could even be friends again. “Thanks.” Kara turned to go, but then stopped and pivoted. “You know, you deserve to be happy too. And so does Sonja. Don’t be a moron and expect her to wait around forever, okay, Sammy?” 

“Yeah, okay.”

Kara waited for Sam to add some kind of sarcastic comment, but he didn’t. “Well, good.” 

She turned and headed for the parking lot again, and a few seconds later, Sam fell into step beside her. “So, no matter how many times I say it, you’re gonna keep calling me Sammy, aren’t ya?”

Kara grinned. “Count on it.”

*** 

Lee shifted, the bike dipping low to the ground as they turned a sharp corner on the 101. The road was unlit along this stretch, only the bike’s headlights cutting hazy arcs of illumination in the darkness. The scenery suited his mood. He couldn’t shake the black cloud that the conversation with Kara earlier had conjured up. 

By rote, he drove, his mind still replaying their argument, turning the bike off the road and into the woods when they reached one of their favorite spots, a small overlook high above the pacific that was always secluded. 

Lee didn’t shut the engine off, just let it idle carelessly, his brain still churning, and he only snapped back to reality as Kara slid around into his lap again. She wound her arms around his neck and stared at him. “You’re pretty quiet tonight.”

That was true, Lee hadn’t said anything at all when he’d picked her up at the service station, just waited for Kara to hop on behind him, then took off, tires squealing a bit on the pavement. It was stupid, and unfair, he knew, but he couldn’t get their argument out of his head. Kara had thrown up excuse after excuse as to why they wouldn’t work. But the truth was she just didn’t want him.

In lieu of an answer now, he locked his arms around Kara, pulling her tightly against him and crushing her mouth with his. Kara responded eagerly, her lips sliding open and her tongue rubbing twining with his instantly.

Correction: the truth was Kara didn’t want  _Lee_. She wanted Apollo, all right. 

Great, now he was jealous of himself. 

Enough thinking, he vowed. If all she wanted was something meaningless and physical, then he could do that. Kara slid a hand down his back, fingers slipping under his jacket and tracing the sensitive skin at the base of his spine. Sparks ignited with each brush of her fingertips and he hardened against her instantly. He could definitely do that. 

Lee wrapped his arms tighter around Kara, then slid off the bike seat to stand. She squeaked once at the sudden motion and clung to him, and he bent, laying her back on the vibrating chassis of his bike. 

Her hair streamed over the handlebars and the full circle skirt she was wearing pooled around them, draping over both their laps. Lee flicked a glance down, surprised. Kara usually wore those pedal pushers or jeans if she was at work. He didn’t know much about clothes, but these kind of skirts, with all the crinolines under them and the little dog embroidered on the front, seemed old-fashioned and fussy, not like her style at all. Then she shifted, and Lee saw the emblem on her skirt wasn’t a poodle at all, but rather a skull and crossbones. Typical Kara. It was almost enough to drag a smile out of him.

“Nice skirt.”

“Principal Cain nearly had a heart attack first time I wore it,” she grinned up at him. “Said it wasn’t proper attire for a young lady. I told her I wasn’t much of a proper young lady, so—mmpfh” 

Lee had raised his hand to her mouth, two fingers pressing hard against her lips and cutting her off. If Kara wanted them to only be physical, then that’s what they’d be. Lee didn’t want to hear her ridiculously charming stories or that laugh she had that electrified his whole body whenever he heard it.

He didn’t want to fall for her any harder. 

He bent over her and buried his face in her neck, his mouth covering the small beauty spot low on the left side. He nipped at her skin, traced circles around it with his tongue until Kara was moaning, lips quivering against his palm, and Lee felt a grim strum of satisfaction. That was better. 

This was just sex, just two bodies finding mutual satisfaction, and he needed to remember that. He needed to—he groaned, as suddenly Kara’s mouth parted against his hand, her tongue darting out and wrapping around his fingers. He lifted his head, watching as Kara tilted hers back, opening her mouth wider to capture the tips and envelop them. Wet, heat surrounded his fingers as she slid down again, swallowing them to the knuckle. She raised a hand to his wrist, thumb rubbing against the soft inner skin there, as she held his hand steady. Then, bright eyes locked with his, Kara started to suck. 

Lee was frozen, unable to move as he watched her lips push up then down, the wet heat of her mouth so overwhelming his knees threatened to buckle. He shifted, pressing his hips harder against her, desire making him swell and ache for her. Each pull of her mouth resulted in a surge of need, like waves rippling through his body, until he couldn’t stand it any more. He tugged hard, sliding his fingers out of her mouth and dragging his hand down her body, over the curves of her cleavage revealed by the deep plunge of her neckline then lower, lower until he was gripping the knee curved at his hip. He scooped his other hand under the nape of her neck and leaned in, pulling Kara up to him slightly as Lee slammed his lips down over hers, tongue driving hard inside and plundering her mouth.

He expected a fight for dominance, Kara battling for control like she always did, but instead she softened, her mouth pliant and accommodating for once as her whole body relaxed against him. Emboldened, Lee slid his hand down her thigh, under the layers of fabric and crinoline, wet fingers dragging against the soft bare skin of her leg. Kara shivered under him, gasping loudly in his ear, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He pushed his hand higher, until his fingertips brushed against soft, damp cotton. The flimsy barrier didn’t slow him at all, Lee just hooked it aside and slid under it, fingers pressing against the warm, wet heat of her body. 

Kara made a sound, all breath and vowels, and Lee twisted, covering her mouth again as he started to stroke her slowly, his touch feather light as he traced along slick skin. Kara’s hips jolted, pressing against his hand and her eagerness made his own lust rage higher. Lee tore his mouth away from her finally, and lowered Kara back down till she was resting flat against the still-rumbling bike. He slid the hand at her neck down to splay against her stomach, and let his fingers press a little harder and a little deeper between her legs. 

Her back arched slightly, Kara’s eyes heavy-lidded with desire fixing on his again, and Lee watched her tongue swipe across her lips in anticipation. She wanted him, she was waiting for him, for his touch. Power flooded him, as he spread her open with his fingers, his movements rougher, more determined now, then plunged one inside her. Her eyes flew wide, mouth opening at the invasion even as her body contracted, sucking at his flesh. 

Lee studied her as he pressed into her harder and faster. Watched how her hips shifted, and her chest heaved, memorized the sounds she made. He slid a second finger into her, waited till she was keening ‘Ohhhh” and “pleeeease”, then nudged her legs open wider with his knee, and pushed a third inside, savored the sensation of her stretching hot and tight around his hand. Then finally, he pressed his thumb to her clit, swirling slow steady circles against the sensitive nub. 

Lee was spellbound, couldn’t tear his eyes away from Kara’s flushed, gasping face as she writhed under him. He twisted his wrist, fingers curving and pressing, thrusting and retreating, faster and harder and deeper, until her whole body tightened, her heels digging into his ass, and he knew she was breaking. He was panting now too, as Lee stretched over Kara, his body fitting to hers, and forgetting, he demanded in a broken rasp. “Kara, say my name.” 

*** 

Kara thought this must be what it was like to fly. All she could see was stars, bright shining dots gleaming against the darkened night sky. All she could hear was the quiet rumble of the engine under her back, the vibrations loud in her ear and humming through her skin. All she could feel was him, moving inside her, pushing and stroking and making her burn higher and hotter every second, until she thought she might explode, shoot right off into the atmosphere untethered without him to anchor her. 

She came hard, reaching down and clutching the backs of his calves as her body seized, bucking with pleasure as the white hot rush of orgasm slammed through her. Just as she fell, she heard his voice loud in her ear, asking her to say his name, and Kara’s mouth opened, a name hovering automatically on her lips. She started to say it, her teeth and tongue already forming the first letter, when she realized her mistake. 

“Apollo,” she breathed hurriedly instead, wrapping her arms around his neck. Oddly, at first, he seemed to stiffen in her embrace, but then suddenly he was pulling her up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tight to him once more.

Kara inhaled, tucking her face under his chin, as the heady rush of pleasure receded a little, leaving her boneless and limp, but not quite sated. She couldn’t get enough of him. Pressing her lips to the underside of his jaw she kissed her way up his face, then tilted her forehead against his. Kara ran her hands down his chest then lower, heel pressing the painfully hard bulge in his pants. “We don’t have to stop,” she purred. “Let’s just do it. Let’s go all the way.” 

He pulled back then and looked at her, just stared for a long moment. For once, Kara wished he wasn’t wearing those damn goggles. She couldn’t read his expression and had no idea what he was thinking under there. Had she freaked him out? Been too forward? After what they just did, that seemed pretty ridiculous though.

“I— I can’t,” he said, reaching up to smooth back one of those errant strands of hair that always seemed to escape her ponytail. “Not tonight anyway. It’s late and I... I have to get home.”

Kara frowned, it wasn’t that she didn’t believe him exactly, but there was a hesitation to his words that made her wonder if she was getting the whole story. It wasn’t a rejection outright, but well, it still kind of felt like one. 

All her worry disappeared a few seconds later however when Apollo said the magic words. “Do you want to drive us back?” 

Kara snatched the keys faster than he could blink, and it was only when they were halfway back to the service station, that she thought to wonder why on earth, when she’d been trying to remember Apollo’s name, she’d nearly blurted out _Lee_  instead. 

***

They didn’t talk on the ride back to Laird’s and when they got there, Kara seemed quieter than usual. He wondered if she was regretting it already. Which would be a shame, because as far as Lee was concerned, except for the small matter of the raging case of blue balls he now had, it’d been amazing.

Of course, he might regret in the morning saying no to her, making them come home. But Lee had realized something. If and when, he got to go all the way with Kara, he needed it to be his name on her lips. His real name. She needed to know exactly who she was with, no pretenses.

That was why, he knew, he had to tell her the truth. 

And soon. 

They couldn’t keep doing this. She made him lose control all too easily. And if they kept going out on these rides, well he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her. No, it was time, he had to tell her. No matter the consequences. 

“When will I see you again?” Kara asked. 

Lee took a breath. “Tomorrow night, at the talent show.” He popped the clutch and revved the engine of his bike, as he started to back away. “I’ll meet you out front.” 

Kara’s brow creased, “Wait, how do you know about that?”

Lee revved the bike engine and pulled out of the station, just shouting again “Tomorrow night!” as he drove away. His brain was racing. Was he crazy? If he told her he’d been lying to her all this time, she might hate him forever. Doubts flooded him. What he needed was a second opinion someone who could tell him if he was making a massive mistake here. 

On a whim, he turned the bike off on a side street, headed for Laura’s shop. She kept an apartment upstairs, and he ran up them two at a time, impatience thrumming in him as he knocked on the door. It took a long time to open, then Laura was blinking at him from behind her rhinestone-studded cat’s eye glasses. 

“A little late for social calls, isn’t it?”

“Sorry, you’re right, it’s, I-” he blustered, dimly realizing it must be past midnight. His gaze dropped to take in the thin blue silk bathrobe she was wearing and he flushed with embarassment. “Oh, sorry, you’re, um, I just....I really needed some advice, but I could come back in the morn—.”

He shut up as she rolled her eyes and grabbed the lapel of his jacket dragging him into the apartment. Laura shook her head at him, and tightened her robe. “It’s alright, I was just making some tea anyway. Real leaves, not that Lipton stuff. Would you like some?”

Lee’s spirits raised. He hadn’t had decent tea since he left England. “Oh God, Yes. Please.”

He followed her into the kitchen, slumping down at the small counter island, and sighed heavily.

“Well, you sound like a guy with the weight of the universe resting on his shoulders.” 

Lee, smiled a bit wryly at that. “Not the universe, just my love life.”

“And how are things going with the plan?”

“Good. A little too good.” Laura raised a brow as she pulled two cups down from a shelf and set them out. “When I’m Apollo, she’s all over me. I mean we’ve done things that—” he cleared his throat, suddenly realizing whom he was talking to, “well, uh, we’ve done a lot of things.” 

“And when you’re Lee...?”

“When I’m Lee, we actually talk. Get to know each other. And it’s even better.” He meant it. As amazing as it was to feel her body respond to his, it didn’t hold a candle to the way his heart soared when he made Kara laugh or smile that mega-watt grin she had. “I mean, I think, aside from everything else, we’re friends. And I don’t want to lose that.”

“So what makes you think you will?” Laura asked, head tilting quizzically. “If you’re getting along so well when you’re just being yourself, why don’t you just come out with it straight and ask her out?”

“I tried that. She pretty much laughed in my face.”

Laura frowned sympathetically. 

“But... I think it’s a bluff.” He remembered Kara’s face when he’d almost kissed her at the athletic field. She hadn’t been repulsed, she’d looked... nervous. “Kara’s got this idea in her head that we’re too different, that.... I don’t even know... she was giving me all of these excuses as to why it wouldn’t work. But I think maybe she’s just afraid.” 

“Afraid of what?”

“That if she let someone in, someone who really knew her, the way that I do, that he couldn’t possibly care about her. That she’s not...worth it or something.” 

A look of recognition passed over Laura’s face and Lee caught it. “What?”

“Look, I don’t know Kara that well, but people talk when they’re getting their hair done, you know? They forget there’s actually a person attached to that curling iron.” She shook her head and Lee leaned forward, impatient to hear more. “Anyway, her mother’s a real piece of work from what I understand. Did a number on that girl’s head, if you ask me.” 

Lee blinked, remembering the understanding on Kara’s face when she’d listened to him talk about his dad, the way she reached out and took his hand. She hadn’t said a word about her mom though. 

He wondered what other secrets she was hiding?

“I don’t know what to do. But all these secrets—only ever having half of her—” Lee shook his head. “It’s not enough. I think...no, I know, I need to tell her who I am. That I already know exactly who she is, and,” he swallowed hard, “I’ve already fallen in love with her.” 

The whistle of the tea pot shrilled, as if emphasizing his declaration, and Laura laughed as she went to take the pot off the stove, the dramatic mood lightening a little. 

She came back and poured them both steaming cups of tea. “Well then loverboy, what’s your next move?” 

Lee took a deep breath. “I’m going to tell her at the talent show tonight.” He’d gone over it in his head a dozen times already on the way to Laura’s. Even in his own fantasies, the outcome always came out the same though. Kara, furious that he’d deceived her, telling him he had it all wrong and she didn’t want him—not as Lee or Apollo—after all. 

He took a long sip from his cup. “You know, my father always says that.... a man has to accept responsibility for his actions. He doesn't second guess the choices he makes, he lives with them, every day.”

“Sounds like a smart man,” Laura smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Or a real glutton for punishment.”

His mouth twisted. “A little of both actually.” The amusement was short-lived and Lee shook his head, brooding as he stared into the tea cup like it would solve all his problems. “Laura, what if I do this, and I lose her? Do you think I’m making a mistake?”

“Only you can answer that one,” his friend said, but she winked at him over the rim of her tea cup. “However, I believe it’s never a mistake to follow your heart, Lee.”

He hoped she was right. 

***   
Kara shivered on the steps of the auditorium, a brisk wind making her arms pimple with goosebumps. Her friends were posing for photos on the landing behind her, the loud guffaws of the Tbirds and tinkling laughter of the Pink Ladies mingling. But Kara ignored it, craning her neck to look down the road. It was empty. Where was he?

“Hey K, we gotta go in. The show’s gonna start soon,” Sharon called

“I know, just gimme a minute.” She looked anxiously down the road again.

Kat’s obnoxious tone floated over to her. “How can she get so hot and bothered over some guy she don’t even know?” Then a beat later. “What?!” 

“She’s got a crush, Kat,” Sonja hissed. “Leave her alone.”

A loud rumble cut the air and she twisted again, exhilaration and relief rushing through her, as Apollo pulled up to the curb. “Hey!” She leaned over to hug him. “I didn’t think you were gonna make it in time.”

He pulled back out of her embrace too quickly, and when Kara raised her face to his, she saw he was frowning. “What’s wrong?”

He licked his lips. “Kara, there’s....something I need to tell you.” She stared at him in surprise and watched as Apollo raised a hand to the heavy goggles he wore. “I haven’t been honest with you.” His voice sounded funny, the word been coming out like bean, and Kara frowned because it reminded her of something all of a sudden, like deja vu. But before she could place it, another louder rumble cut the night air. 

They both twisted around, only to see Leoben Conoy and his cyclones roaring up the road. Leoben was shouting. “Hey punk, we got you this time! You’re a dead man!”

The T-Birds and the Pinks ran up behind her. “It’s those jackasses,” Sam yelled. “Let’s go boys!”

Apollo was already shifting on the bike, but he reached out and ran his hand down Kara’s cheek. “I’ll be back,” he promised. 

Then he took off, zooming away with the Cyclons hot on his heels and the T-birds hot on their heels. “Kat, we gotta go!” Kara yelled, already heading for her friend’s car. “They’ll murder him if they catch him!” 

They all piled in and Kat pulled away, tires squealing as she tried to keep up with the bikes. 

“Where are we going?” 

“I don’t know! Just follow them! 

Kara fidgeted, her nerves jangling as she said a silent prayer that Apollo would be okay. “God, you are the worst driver, Kat! Can’t you go any faster?” 

“Don’t you yell at me!” Kat shrieked. “I’m doing the best I can.” 

“Oh God, we’re all gonna die and I’m not wearing any underwear!” Sonja cried.

“There they are!” Sharon said, pointing through the windshield at a cluster of bikes at the end of a construction site. Kara jumped out before Kat even pulled to a stop, running. She watched as Apollo popped a wheelie and roared back through the Cyclons, all the way back to Kara, then spun out in a wide loop around her, aiming his bike toward a huge mound of dirt surrounded by “Dead End” and “Warning: Steep Incline” signs. Kara’s eyes widened.

“What the hell are you doing, Apollo?” she yelled, panic making her heart slam in her chest. There was at least a 100-foot drop at the end of this road. Was he crazy?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you on the other side!” he yelled back, and then he was accelerating, speeding down the road and up that raised embankment and launching into the night sky. Kara froze, shock slamming through her as she watched the bike twist in the air and then fall, dropping out of sight behind the cliff’s edge. 

“Nooooooo!” She screamed, moving again, running to the edge of the drop. She looked down and saw nothing, just blackness below her. A sob ripped from her throat, and Kara sagged, her legs turning to rubber. She would have fallen if Sharon hadn’t grabbed her, wrapping an arm around Kara’s waist. 

The boys ran up behind them a few seconds later, Leoben staring wide-eyed at Kara, his face pale and horrified. “I thought the guy would slow up, not drive right off the edge like that. That’s crazy.” He started backing away, looking almost haunted as he retreated to his bike and drove off, the other Cyclones right behind him. 

Kara didn’t speak, she didn’t move. She just kept staring into the black.

Faintly she heard Hot Dog’s voice, distorted and hollow like it was coming from the far end of a long tunnel. “He ain’t down there. Where’d he go? Biker heaven?” 

“If he didn’t make it, he ain’t gonna look too pretty,” Galen added. 

“Guys,” Karl hissed, followed by the dull thud of flesh against leather. “Shut up!” 

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. “Kara,” Sammy said quietly, “He made the jump. I could do that,” he insisted, voice wavering slightly under the strain of the lie. “No problem.”

“Yeah,” Karl chimed in enthusiastically. “He’ll be OK. Nobody rides like him.” She heard another smack, then Karl’s aggrieved voice “What? Sorry!” 

Kara just kept staring, feeling cold all the way to her bones. Her heart felt like someone was squeezing it in a vice grip. Apollo was gone. No more secret rendezvous. No more midnight rides with him. No more— 

Kara blinked back the tears stinging behind her eyes. She wasn’t going to break down, not here, in front of all these people.  _Pull it together, Kara, think!_

A hundred feet. 

There was no way anyone could make that jump and come out alive. Was there? She squinted into the darkness, trying to discern the edge where the road resumed, but couldn’t see anything. No bike. No body. Kara, swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. 

She turned her head slowly, eying the height of the dirt mound and trying to judge the distance from where he’d began. Suddenly she heard Lee in her head, talking about force and mass and accellaration. Kara cursed, wishing, not for the first time, that she understood all that crap. 

“K, hon, you can’t stay here,” Sharon said, softly. “We gotta go back, we’ll be late.”

Kara’s jaw tightened, ready to insist that she wasn’t going anywhere, and definitely not back to some stupid high school talent show where she had to wear a Christmas tree dress. The talent show. Lee would be there! He would know, he’d tell her if Apollo could’ve made that jump.

She let Sharon and Sonja drag her away, a small nugget of hope taking root as they got closer to Rydell. Kara dashed out of the car as soon as Kat pulled in to the parking lot, running into the auditorium and up to the stage. She stopped short when she neared the piano, where Felix Gaeta was arranging sheet music on the stand. “Where’s Lee?” 

“Huh?”

“Lee! Adama. The piano player for—”

Felix just shrugged and went back to his music. Kara turned away, wanting to hit something, her hope deflating like a popped balloon. She didn’t understand where he could be. Lee was like Mister Dependable. There’s no way he’d bail on the talent show. 

Kara searched through the crowds now filtering into the auditorium until she saw Ellen Tigh, Lee’s aunt, and dashed to her side. “Mrs. Tigh! I’m looking for Lee. Do you know where he is? It’s really important!” 

The woman blinked down at her, swaying slightly into Kara, and when she spoke, Ellen blasted her with what had to be 80-proof breath. “No, dear, I haven’t seen him,” the woman replied, looking around in confusion. “Isn’t he here?” 

Frustrated, Kara turned away. Maybe she should check his house. Crap, or maybe she was just delusional. Apollo could be dead, Kara thought, heart lurching, and she was worried about Lee blowing off a lame ass school talent show? He was probably at home right now, sick or something. It wouldn’t take long to check, though... Kara pivoted, trying to make her way through the crowd to the exit when Sharon grabbed her. “Kara, c’mon, we have to go on in five.” 

“There’s something I gotta do first, Sharon,” she started, but her friend’s eyes got real big and she yanked Kara after her by the arm. “There’s no time! You gotta get in costume!” 

Kara tried to pull away but Sharon was surprisingly strong for such a wiry girl. Resigned, she shrugged into her costume. As soon as the show was over, she’d try to find Lee. And maybe he’d even have some ideas on how to find Apollo. 

Through the curtain, she heard Principal Cain greeting the audience and then the piano launching into the first number. They were the show closer, it’d be another 45 minutes before they took the stage. Kara was sick with worry the entire time, fidgeting impatiently. Finally, they were on and she shuffled forward getting into position. Kat, Sharon and Sonja all paraded out on their cues, while Kara waited, her brain churning. She didn’t know why, but Kara had the strangest feeling that if she could find Lee, then somehow...everything would be okay. Like he could fix it, as if it were another science paper or something. 

Her cue sounded, and someone gave Kara a hard push and she stumbled through the curtain as the previous chorus verse ended. Automatically, she opened her mouth to sing. 

Lee was smart, the smartest guy in school. He could do the math, explain to her if it was possible Apollo had made the jump and stayed alive. Hell, Lee was probably the only one who could figure out how to make that jump.

Kara froze in place, like a deer in headlights.

Lee was the only one who could make that jump. 

_“I’ll be yours in winter...”_

Lee, with his superior understanding of the laws of motion. 

_“...when the snow falls to the ground...”_

Lee, with those arms. And that funny accent. And...and a really strong jawline. 

_“I’ll warm you in December...”_

Holy smokes. Kara fell to her knees on the stage, staggered by the realization. 

Lee—British, nerdy, ugly-sweater-wearing, goody two shoes—was her mystery man in black leather. Her cool rider. 

 _Lee was Apollo._  

_“And I’ll always be around…”_

But if he wasn’t here....that could only mean one thing. He hadn’t made the jump. 

He was gone. 

Kara stopped mouthing the words, stopped moving altogether. She just stared out into the audience, frozen through to the core again, bright lights blinding her instead of darkness now. This time, when the tears came, she let them fall. 

***

All things considered, he’d been less nervous when he’d driven off the cliff two hours ago.

Now, idling on his bike (which boasted the two new tires he’d had to go get after his little retina-detaching stunt) outside the gates to the Senior Luau, Lee’s gut clenched at the thought of confessing the truth to Kara. 

It was quiet out here, since everyone was already inside, the party well under way by the sounds of it. But he stalled, his eagerness to see her again warring with fear at her reaction. Finally he couldn’t wait any longer and he picked up his helmet and started to pull his goggles over his head one last time. 

“Whoa! I can’t believe it!” 

He whirled around at the excited exclamation. Cally was standing there on her skateboard, staring at him with eyes bigger than a kid in a candy store. “Dude, Lee, _you’re_  the cool rider? 

He winced, her voice carrying a little in the quiet out here, but nodded. “Can we keep it our little secret for now?” The only thing worse than telling Kara would be not getting to tell her because she found out from someone else.

Cally shrugged. “Sure, I’m great at keeping secrets. But I been meaning to come talk to you anyway.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, sorry to break it to ya like this, but we can’t see each other anymore,” she said earnestly. “I kinda got my eye on a new man.” 

“Ah, I see,” Lee said, biting back a smile. “Well, I can’t say I’m not a little jealous, but it was an honor while it lasted.” He leaned down and kissed the girl’s cheek. 

She grinned at him. “That’s the breaks, kid. See ya around.”

Lee shook his head, laughing to himself as Cally wheeled off through the gates. At least he wasn’t nervous anymore. Not completely anyway. Blowing out a hard breath, he pulled the goggles on and donned his helmet for one last time as Apollo. 

He had an entrance to make. For old time’s sake. 

Lee shifted, circling back a few yards, then jumpstarted the bike and roared in through the gates.

***

Kara wasn’t quite sure how she’d ended up here, stuck on a stupid oversized canoe in the middle of a swimming pool at the graduation luau. Sharon had insisted she come, since she’d been voted queen of the luau and everything, but her sorrow had turned quickly to bitterness as she’d watched everyone around her dancing and singing and laughing. 

He should’ve been here. And it was all her fault that he wasn’t. 

If she hadn’t been so stupid, going on about wanting a cool rider, hell on wheels, and all that crap, then Lee never would have got it in his head to do something so boneheaded just to impress her. 

Kara still couldn’t believe he’d done all that—the bike, the outfit, the accent—for her. And she really couldn’t believe that all those weeks, she hadn’t even seen what was right in front of her face. She’d been so obsessed with her fantasy version of Mr. Right that she’d dismissed the real thing. When Kara thought about her last conversation with Lee, the fight they’d had and the way he’d looked before he walked away on the field, she could cry. God, she’d been so painfully stupid and now...now it was just too late. 

Her eyes blurred with tears again, and she stared down at the clear blue surface of the swimming pool. She didn’t even raise her head when the loud rumble of a bike’s engine split the air and the crowd started murmuring with excitement. It was probably just one of the T-birds screwing around, or that creep Conoy coming around again to be an ass. But then their voices started getting louder. 

“Hey, who’s that guy?!”

“Whoa! Look at that!” 

“Oh my God, he’s back!’

Then Sam’s voice at the other end of the raft. “Kara, look!” 

She lifted her head just as a shadow fell over the pool. “Holy crap!” Sam exclaimed and Kara followed his gaze straight up into the sky, her heart stopping as she saw a motorcycle—a very familiar motorcycle—soaring through the air. 

_It was him! He was alive!_

Kara scrambled to her feet, the raft tilting perilously as she did, nearly dumping Sam off the far edge. Heedless to his outraged cries, she grabbed an oar and speared into the water, pushing them to the edge of the deck, so she could jump off. And then she was running. 

Kara sprinted towards the figure on the bike, singlemindedly shoving through the crowd of stunned onlookers. She needed to touch him, make sure he was real. 

Arms opening wide, Kara launched herself at him with enough force that she almost knocked him off the bike. She wrapped herself around him, squeezing tight, her face buried in the side of his neck. She grinned into his skin when she felt his arms squeezing her back and Kara lifted her head, fingers already fumbling at the strap to his helmet. “Lee Adama, I swear, if you ever scare me like that again, I will kill you myself!” she cried, her voice breaking with emotion. “You got that?” 

The stupid strap finally came loose and she ripped his helmet and goggles off until shocked blue eyes were staring at her. “Kara, you— you knew it was me?”

Behind her the crowd was gasping, chattering with excitement at the mystery man’s reveal. 

“It’s Lee!” 

“English?!” 

“You made that jump?” 

Kara ignored all of it, only having eyes for Lee. She stared into his eyes, nodding. “Yeah, I was stupid and I only figured it out after you—” she stopped, shuddering as emotion overwhelmed her, and Kara took his face in her hands. “I thought you were dead,” she whispered. 

Unable to wait another second, Kara leaned in and kissed him, her lips melding tightly to his for one endless moment. When she finally pulled back and let him go, they were both breathless, and Lee was staring at her with wonder on his face, his lips starting to curve into a smile. 

“Well, I thought you said we were different types.”

Kara huffed a noise that was half-sob, half-laughter and stroked his cheek with her thumb. “It’s good to be wrong.” 

They stared into one another’s eyes, smiling, until Kara had to give in to the urge to kiss him again. She was already tilting her head, when a voice called “Hey! English!” 

Sam was strutting over to them, like he had a bone to pick and Kara squared her shoulders, turning to face him. “Sammy, I swear to God, for the last time, I can be with—”

“Whoever you want, yeah, yeah I get it,” he finished for her. “Would you just let me talk for a second here, K?” 

She folded her arms, giving him the eye, but Kara held her tongue as Sam shifted to face Lee. “So you know, we’ve got this code, right? The Pinks are T-Bird chicks.”

Lee swung a leg over the bike and stepped closer to her, his arm sliding around her waist, as he turned to face Sam, his jaw stubbornly set. “I’ve heard about it, yes,” he answered, in a cool, clipped tone that left no doubt about what he thought of it.

Everyone watched the two guys face off silently, staring each other down to see who would break first. Then, without taking his eyes off Lee, Sam held a hand out to the side, snapping his fingers. “Jacket!”

Hot Dog scrambled to hand one over. Sam held it for a moment, still just looking at Lee, then, finally, his stony face folded into a smile. “Then I guess you’re gonna need one of these,” he said and held the jacket out to Lee. 

Kara exhaled, hardly able to believe it. Next to her, Lee shook his head, smiling as he shrugged on the jacket. 

It was a perfect fit.

“Nice,” Sam said and extended his hand to shake Lee’s. The other T-birds followed his lead, pounding Lee on the back and thumping fists with him. Over the hullabaloo, Kara caught Sam’s eye and grinned at him. He winked in return, then turned to stretch his arms out to the crowd. “Hey, I thought this supposed to be a party!?” He called out loudly. “Let’s see some hula around here, people!” 

Laughing, Kara turned back to Lee, sliding her hands up his chest and grasping the lapels of his new jacket. He was smiling at her, big enough to make the corners of his eyes crinkle again, and Kara thought it was maybe the best smile she’d ever seen. Arching up, she pressed her mouth to his again. Their lips brushed in short, sweet kisses that turned longer and deeper until everything around them faded. 

Lee pulled back first this time, his breath fanning heavy and warm against her cheek as he laid his forehead against hers. “I never thought you’d kiss me like that if you knew who I really was.”

“What? Are you beyond insane? This way, I get the brains and the brawn. It’s like...like...” Kara searched for the words.

“Double ketchup?” Lee arched an eyebrow. 

Kara laughed. “Mmmhmm. Exactly. Double ketchup.” She hauled him in for another kiss, hungry and fierce this time, her tongue diving into his mouth and tangling with his. Kara slid her hands down and around his waist, then lower still, her palms cupping the leather-clad curve of his ass. 

Lee moved his mouth to her ear, murmuring. “Uh, you realize we have an audience, right, Kara?” 

She squeezed him again, then tilted her head back to look in his eyes. “I love you, Lee Adama, or Apollo, or whatever your name is,” she grinned, her voice raising defiantly. “And I don’t care who friggin’ knows.” 

He laughed, then slid his own hands down to return the favor. “I love you too. But you’re sure, Kara? That I’m... what you want?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she breathed. Kara thought back to their first kiss, the one in the bowling alley when he’d just been some stranger, and she’d gotten chills, multiplying and electrifying her whole body. Maybe a part of her knew even then. But now, now she was sure, down deep inside. She smiled at Lee. “You’re the one that I want.” 

***

Sam watched the lovebirds, just staring at each other in their own little private world. There was something though about the way they looked at each other. It actually felt...right. 

Damn. It’d been a hell of a year. 

If anyone had told him back in the fall, that by graduation, he’d be completely over Kara, he wouldn’t have believed them. It was funny the way things worked out sometimes.

He looked away from the happy couple and saw Sonja, heading his way. Sam watched her walking. God, she was gorgeous. Feisty too. He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it before. She was perfection. The kind of perfection that he wanted to be connected to.

She drew up to him and Sam held his breath. Sonja hadn’t talked to him since that night at the service station, when he’d acted like a jackass. But now she was eyeing him, her lips already parting to speak. “That was a nice thing you did, Sammy.”

He shrugged, the gesture already forgotten. “Sonja, I’m sorry I was such an idiot. You were right. I shouldnt’a took ya for granted. Can you forgive me baby?” 

She smiled. “Well, they do do say to err is human, and to forgive is divine, right? Just don’t do it again.”

Sam grinned, feeling a rush of elation. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He pulled her closer and gave her a whopper of a kiss. It was a long time before they came up for air. 

He wrapped an arm around Sonja, squeezing her tight and looked around at his friends, his gaze drifting from Kara and Lee to Karl and Sharon then Kat and Hot Dog and finally to Galen and—he raised an eyebrow—Cally? Sam just grinned. 

That’s what it was all about—perfect moments like this. 

The T-birds and the Pinks. Together forever. That’s the way it should be. 

-fin-


End file.
